Todd Graves (entrepreneur)
American businessman (born 1972)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Todd Bartlett Graves (born 1972) is an American businessman and co-founder of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, a fast food restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken finger meals.[1]
1972 (age 53–54)
Todd Graves | |
|---|---|
 Todd Graves (left) at Eat Las Vegas | |
| Born | Todd Bartlett Graves 1972 (age 53–54) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Education | University of Georgia (BA) |
| Office | Co-founder and CEO of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers[1] |
| Spouse | Gwen Drain |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Graves was born in New Orleans and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He graduated from Episcopal School of Baton Rouge.[2] Graves earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia.[3]
Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers
In 1996, Graves opened Raising Cane's near the North Gates of Louisiana State University on Highland Road.[1] Graves has attributed the company's business plan to the content of a course at LSU.[1]
The restaurants are named after Raising Cane I, Graves' dog at the time of founding the first restaurant. The company is headquartered in Baton Rouge.[1] As of 2025, the company operated nearly 1000 restaurants in the U.S.[4][5]
Graves ranked in the 46th position on the 2025 Forbes 400 List of richest Americans.[6] The next year, Forbes estimated Graves' net worth at $20 billion, making him the 137th wealthiest person in the world at the time.[3]
Personal life
In 2000, Graves married Gwen Drain, a McDonald's franchisee, whom he had known since high school.[7][8] They have two daughters and reside in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with their yellow Labrador, Raising Cane III.[9]
Collections
An avid collector, Graves has loaned a 66-million-year-old triceratops skull to the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum.[10] He has also loaned the hearse that carried Martin Luther King Jr. to exhibits across the country.[11]