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Raising Cane’s Surprising History

2025-10-28 Entertainment
93.7k
4.2k
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Mythical Kitchen
Mythical Kitchen
4.4m subscribers

The Entrepreneurial Recipe: Todd Graves on Focus, Grit, and the Power of Food

Discover how Todd Graves forged Raising Cane's not through complicated menus, but through intense commitment, testing personal limits in the Alaskan tundra, and believing fiercely in focused execution.

Short Summary

  • Execution proves far more valuable than a unique idea; commitment through infinite difficulty separates true success.
  • Early dedication, like funding the first store through Alaskan sockeye fishing, defined the hustle period.
  • Focus on one "cravable" product, executed perfectly, avoids the "veto vote" trap that sinks multi-item concepts.
  • Company culture thrives when built on appreciation (the "Kane's Love" program) and sustained by founder-level commitment to quality.

This discussion follows Graves' life through three significant culinary phases: childhood comfort (Gumbo), hustling necessity (Ramen/Tundra), and earned success (Seafood Platter). Understand precisely how these formative experiences shaped his uncompromising business philosophy regarding focus and crew care.

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Description

Todd Graves, Founder and CEO of Raising Canes, tells his story through the lens of food. Want more Mythical Kitchen? Check out these playlists: Last Meals - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW8XZTagL0oLPu4rowq_WOqg6nJ_oToRN First Meals - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW8XZTagL0oJGpzg7kxsA5Xm0a9E8YInt Cheat Meals - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW8XZTagL0oLH467HdBFcQKbu4jkxxM5Y Check out our podcast, A Hot Dog Is A Sandwich! Apple Podcasts: https://mythic.al/ahdias Spotify: https://mythic.al/hotdog Pick up official Mythical Kitchen merch at https://mythical.com/collections/mythical-kitchen Check out Sporked, Mythical's new website dedicated to helping you find the best food on the shelves! - http://www.sporked.com Submit your Dreams Become Food photos here: https://forms.gle/cBopySaTXdzG7RFr5 Join the Mythical Society: https://www.mythicalsociety.com Follow Mythical Kitchen: Instagram: https://instagram.com/mythicalkitchen Facebook: https://facebook.com/mythicalkitchen Mythical Chef Josh's Instagram: https://instagram.com/mythicalchefjosh Check Out Our Other Mythical Channels: Good Mythical Morning: https://youtube.com/goodmythicalmorning Rhett & Link: https://youtube.com/rhettandlink Sporked: https://www.youtube.com/@sporked/ Ear Biscuits: https://applepodcasts.com/earbiscuits Good Mythical MORE: https://youtube.com/goodmythicalmore In the spirit of minimizing food waste associated with the filming of this series, Mythical is donating to the Hollywood Food Coalition who provide daily, nourishing meals to underserved communities in the Los Angeles area.

Top Comments (10)

@KGD_ 2025-10-28

Man. As a raising canes worker, I loved seeing this interview. It’s very eye opening and real when you see the person who established the culture of your work place converse with one of your favorite people. Great place to work, amazing people, good vibes, 1 love!

887 46 replies
@CurlyCross 2025-10-28

As a previous employee of Raising Canes I met Todd once. He came to our store in Lincoln, NE when it was semi new and thriving. He hopped next to me on the fryer and made chicken as he talked to the employees. Also, as a side note, Raising Cane's has so many great cleanliness requirements. The kitchen is so clean.

617 8 replies
@kawawangkowboy9566 2025-10-28

If there was a Make-A-Wish Foundation for old men, I'd get them to get me on a Mythical Kitchen show where Josh interviews and feeds me

334 4 replies
@alastairvanmaren5243 2025-10-31

Just as a note, this guy and the other founder/co-CEO both decided to forgo a paycheck during COVID so that they wouldn't have to lay off any employees. And they didn't. I'm sure some employees were let go during that time, but not due to COVID. That's how you know this guy walks the walk. That's leadership.

317 3 replies
@GodfatherBoxSet 2025-10-28

I would love for them to create another channel where they show the actual cooking and recipes for the food on this show and last meals. Everything looks so great and the people on the shows rave about it, so would be nice to see the process behind it

314 4 replies
@tissue_b0x 2025-10-28

Josh is absolutely one of the best interviewers out there. The man is just unreal

210 1 replies
@dogicorns2675 2025-10-29

It's crazy to me that they turned him down so many times saying "You're selling only fried chicken?" when the literal staple meal of "I'm not in the mood for that" or picky eaters going to a restaurant, is to just order the chicken tenders

172 1 replies
@JoshKeatonFan 2025-10-28

I really wish there was a Mythical Kitchen MORE

109 3 replies
@Thestreetcorner661 2025-10-28

I used to work at canes, I will say the people I worked with werent the best but the company itself is amazing. Great policies, decent pay, and a good sturdy foundation

45
@TexRanch247 2025-10-28

Wow already liked the food but the backstory makes it that much better.

30

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