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- A Lesson from Raising Canes
When I talk to my students about their favorite fast food restaurants, Raising Canes seems to be a popular choice. If you’ve never heard the story of how Todd Graves made his dream come true despite lots of setbacks, well its time you do as it will inspire your journal activity for the week.
In the podcast, Todd talks about working in various restaurants before he founded Cane’s—from mom-and-pop grills to fast food chains—to gain industry experience. Contrary to what was popular then, Todd envisioned a limited menu that offers only ONE LOVE—quality Chicken Finger Meals. Many people didn’t believe this concept would work, including bankers, investors, and the college professor who gave Todd the lowest grade in the class for his idea.
After Todd was rejected from every bank he pitched, Todd set out to fund his dream by working two treacherous jobs. The first was at an oil refinery in L.A. and the second on an Alaskan fishing boat, where Todd worked 20 hours a day, fishing for Sockeye Salmon in ocean waves.
After saving up enough money, in August of 1996, Todd Graves opened Cane’s 1 (aka the Mothership) near Louisiana State University – and the rest is history. Raising Cane’s is now the Fastest Growing Chicken Chain in the country, employs over 50,000 Crewmembers, and operates in 33 states.
Watch this short 90 second clip for more about his story!
JOURNAL ACTIVITY
What can you learn from Todd Graves about chasing dreams?
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