Raising Cane's Founder Todd Graves | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #340

today's guest is a business entrepreneur. in the food. realm and he started his deal. uh right in baton rouge his first. uh outlet his first food locale right. there in baton rouge louisiana. where i was attending school. and you know now he's built it into a. billion dollar industry. i'm grateful for his time today just to. learn about. what his ride has been like and what. he's learned and what we can learn from.

him. uh today's guest is uh. the chicken finger champ from raising. canes it is mr. todd graves. i'll sit and tell you my stories.

[Applause]. todd graves how are you man well i'm. great i'm even better being up here with. you. yeah thanks man thanks so much for. coming in uh i uh. so your business now so raising canes is. it's a chicken finger company yeah. and how big is the business now now. we're pushing 600 locations. in almost 25 years of business so it. blows me away we're about to start. cranking about 100 a year.

good locations man so wow blows me away. and do you have like a say on what. locations are approved or not or do you. have other people that do that well i. have a team. a great team that does it they work with. local brokers but i approve every site. everyone yeah um okay so that's where. it's at. now so then i want to go back to like so. you grew up in louisiana right. yeah yeah born in new orleans raised in. baton rouge oh nice where'd you go high. school at. uh episcopal high school in baton rouge. yeah my kids go there now my wife went. there so we're like. episcopal family or alumni huh yeah.

alumni um. yeah i saw your son came out here with. you right now yeah yeah he's at his. exams later in the week and so. he had some time off so i like to bring. him uh when i'm doing business and be. around be exposed to it he's just 17 you. know but it's good to get that stuff in. his head. yeah is he a pretty decent kid oh great. kid man great kid you know plays. baseball makes a's you know just like. it's great his sister's older sister. twos at lsu and uh. good student too great they like to have. a good time but they keep it uh. they keep it good and that so it's been. easy raising them yeah. yeah yeah um was it did you start being.

a dad like in the middle of well you. must have started being a dad in the. middle of your. company growing yeah yeah you know so. canes for me was a college. business plan you know and so i started. and opened up like i said almost 25. years ago that first location north. gates lsu. yeah i think i went in there man uh i. think i went in there probably. i mean i was probably high honestly. you're under the influence of something. which is okay. they still serve you yeah well yeah it. says that actually you get go get that. chicken man so that's good late night. man even hungover on sunday man it's uh.

that's our bread and butter yeah yeah it. was good man uh. yeah so i guess and so then take me. through that so like. um there's like a lot of rumors out. there yeah you were a fisherman and you. got. you were doing fishing and so then what. happened like you're. yeah take me how you kind of started the. first one yeah you know. it's a college business planning class. so i grew up working in restaurants and. bars and. high school college and i was like the. kid that did the lemonade stand in the. neighborhood always entrepreneurial. right yeah so i wanted my own restaurant. okay but i'm a college student right so.

i'm like i want to do something that. caters to the students i wanted to hire. students because i knew the work. environment they wanted uh i knew. college kids would work hard man they'll. bust their ass but they need some. somebody that cares about them let's. listen some fun music you know what's. what serve our customers make them feel. good about coming in and spending their. money with us. but let's have a good time when we do it. was one of the first restaurants that. actually had music going on in the. background things like that. but that was my vision and so for. business planning class i had a partner. then when i started and we wrote it for. his business plan class at lsu. got the worst grade in the class oh yeah.

in there baby. in the hair yeah you know but that's. fuel right yeah that's exciting. especially. so so if you get that though do you feel. like like were you guys deterred was the. business. you were the partner at that point yeah. do you have a partner i did back then. he sold out after the second one he just. wasn't a he wasn't a fry cook cashier. didn't make him happy you know but i. love working drive-throughs i like. working fry lines you know it's what i. love. which is important i tell these students. now i'm like whatever you go into making. sure it's something you like to do. you're passionate about because if not. you won't be successful at it right and. if you love what you do works.

comes down to a grind but if you love it. then you're always happy doing it. it wasn't the right business for him. we've stayed dear friends but he sold. after the second one but. we have those memories together because. worst grade in business planning class. and he's just a b minus he wasn't a hard. grader. but it was the worst grade in the class. but for me man it's like okay tell me. tell me i can't do it let me show you. i'm going to okay. okay so there you are so you guys get a. little bit of neglect there from the. grading system. and then what happens like um so then. where do you go from there yeah so i.

thought you know we needed money to do a. spot right and so. i took that business plan look i thought. businessmen. you know needed to look the parts bought. a cheap suit right. oh yeah bought a briefcase from like. office depot the one with the little uh. brass locks on it you know like to look. official right. i'd go in like like a little bit some of. the locks they never even opened dude i. had one once it never. you couldn't even get in it they were so. cheap right yeah i had it on the. zero zero zero i'd crank it up bring up. the business plan. talk to him about this chicken finger.

dream i had right banks were nice enough. but every one of them were like hey man. you know. you might want to work in the industry. for 10 years you might want to do this. and the other. you're not in a position for us to lend. you money once again no no no. makes you want to do it that much more. but had you had any experience in that. line of work at all i mean yeah. i've always worked in restaurants right. and did it and knew it like. i knew how much my aprons would cost you. know what i mean like i knew it so well. but. people had a problem back then of just a. chicken finger only concept. right because quick service this is what. happened to business plan they said you.

didn't do your research because like. mcdonald's is adding all this variety. and all these different things you're. doing the opposite you want to do just. one thing these chicken finger meals and. it's not where your industry's going. but i knew doing one thing and doing. better to anybody else would always pay. off. okay and was there that option out there. at the time because i remember growing. up they had popeyes and that's turned. more into like a place where people. fight i feel like dj's it's more like a. boxing. it's almost like a mini ufc over there. sometimes. but um was there anything that was. serving just that chicken finger. yeah guthrie's they had started.

guthrie's chicken versus started off in. auburn years. years before and they did uh university. of georgia they did. florida state and so the model was out. there this wasn't in louisiana right and. so it's hard for them to see that vision. and for me i just knew college kids like. good food and if you can do that chicken. finger meal like you said. and our busy biggest business business. was the late night business to start off. with and it went into the days. so i stayed i stayed true to it i knew i. could do it but this to me was like. this is my dream right so i'm not gonna. i'm not gonna shut down i'm not gonna.

stop i'm never gonna give up so. i got a job through a friend of a friend. working as a boilermaker in refineries. right to do turnaround shift work to. raise money okay so boilermaker what is. it. well so like when they when a refinery. needs one section to be. fixed right put into equipment replace. old stuff. they'll get a group of boiler makers to. go in and do all that grunt work okay. but they pay you big money because you. work long hours during the week and they. want that. section that refinery come back as soon. as possible because with the oil. production going. everything welding cutting trays out.

putting in new equipment. i mean it's pretty much everything and. you have to learn it on the fly but it's. like they want that thing open as soon. as possible to get the oil production. going so you can make a ton of money if. you're willing to work hard. okay so you got down there so you're. working to or finally so how long after. you guys have this business plan. that you're able to put it together and. kind of get out to full two years. because after my refinery stent i needed. more money and i met a guy named wild. bill tolar no kidding everybody had. nicknames mine was hollywood. longer story oh dude we had a guy i. remember we started work used to work at. this summer camp and they had a guy who. would come down.

and i shouldn't even work in there man i. was dating a girl and she got fired and. then i was like. they were like oh you can work here. right and so then. they had a guy would come and take. pictures of all the kids swimming and. stuff every day. and his name was wild bill right so. finally well one day i'm like. hey are we ever going to see those. pictures from wild bill and i'm like. they're like who's wild bill like the. photographer like. we don't have a photographer it was just. some guy. some random dudes i'm while building the. photographer yeah taking pictures of. kids swimming which was. a little not not ideal so wild bills can. be interesting yeah it can be this guy.

was a. wild ass and uh he he earned his. nickname but he said look you don't you. don't mind working hard. and you're trying to raise money for. this chicken finger dream these bullet. makers were incredibly encouraging to me. like man you're going to open your. restaurant. while bilson has summer's commercial. fishing in alaska so were you running. around and saying like chicken fingers. chicken face i mean you were just. chirping about it yes man like you threw. my passion right i was on chicken finger. dream dude you know so it's like. everywhere and everything and so people. weren't just discouraging but they're. more like hey. you got a degree you know you should do. this you should do that maybe later in.

life you will come back but. like i'm like no this is what i want to. do those boulder makers were the most. encouraging people i've seen along there. really. all of them like man you go for your. dreams they saw me working hard next to. them every day they're oh yeah out here. for your chicken fingers. and uh anyway and so while bill said. look you can you can cut it. go work go up to knack neck alaska and. get a job in bristol bay. gill netting for sakai if you want to. make some real money go up there and i. did. called a float plane to king salmon my. sister gave me her freaking flyer miles. flying to anchorage. got hit king salmon hitchhiked up to.

knack neck went in tent city. took a month to get on a boat talking. the captain into it. that summer commercial fishing in alaska. is crazy what uh. so what was that time like up there like. are the wha are you working with like a. lot of. inuits are you working with like a lot. of just local. people like that are kind of hiding out. because it's almost like the like the. the icy key west i feel like alaska is. almost that strange kind of like. place where people can go to kind of get. like really get away. yeah yeah it's a mix so and you would. indians hold the permits right they're.

the original boats so you have the inuit. population but a lot of fishermen from. washington you know oregon things like. that and they go up to spend the summer. to make money and uh. they're highly motivated because you can. make a ton of money most people just. work that summer. but then it was interesting because when. i got on the boat i realized how. motivated they are right. so there's like you can go out and. during the peak of the season. some are born in a stream right they. swim out to the ocean they're these. beautiful silver fish. all of them have a cycle between four. and like seven years. okay then they know to come back to the. original river up the same river they.

spawn. and they die and it's the cycle it's. crazy yeah so when they're coming in. during the summer man. it's droves of fish and so it's like a. boomerang almost yeah man boom and boom. and so then we were fishing for sockeye. salmon the japanese were buying like 95. of it paying top dollar oh yeah and you. can't keep going out into the ocean. intercept these fish right you have a. lorraine line you couldn't cross so if. you set your. net on that line in front of another net. you just made like 10 times more money. right. so but is there a lot of jockeying for. position out total jockeying man.

you picked you nailed it man so it's. like you will play chicken with other. boats because you want that better set. for your net and these captains are. motivated man we. ram boats boats ram dust my partner went. out with me then. his boat ram his captain rammed another. boat and sunk it out there man. some crazy stuff man people were dying. out there. all this stuff because you're working 20. hour days during the peak right and it's. not just four hours of sleep it's like. an hour here and there go take a nap. you're working so hard so people get. tired and then they they get. lazy they get not careful and they get. thrown out with the nets or whatever's.

going on so. imagine a kid on a chicken finger dream. the back of this 36-foot boat. national geographic's going to film the. madness medical helicopters are taking. people out you're hearing so and so boat. just how to death and all this and. you're filling up the boat with fish. waves are crashing over the side you're. scared you're gonna you're gonna you're. gonna crash you're gonna. you're gonna either get hit or you're. gonna sink when i was out there for that. chicken finger dream. dang it's almost like that's almost like. the ufc out there it sounds like the. ultimate fishing. champion championship or something like.

yeah i can't even imagine people jocking. and and the the the hours that you're on. those boats like what's that kind of. time like the hours that you're on this. you just stay out. and so like you know time's money so if. you have to go into the dock. you know i mean you miss some money so. they have tender boats that you drop. your fish off to so you just live out. there you're staying on the boat. oh you're out there now and then the. little boats come by and you guys fill. and you guys will just fill them up with. fish. fill them up fish yeah you take a tinner. boat take your nets off boom put it back. in and you go right back at it now was. there any drug use or anything like that. on the boat because i could imagine some. people would be adderalled up or. something during it you know.

back then you know adderall hadn't hit. it hit its stride you know so you just. you just work and your body just gets. conditioned to it man you become so hard. like. when i came back it was hard to get back. into society a little bit because you're. just like you have to just constantly. work. then it gets cold and it gets that you. get beat up and then like i came back i. was kind of like. man i don't i don't know if i've fit in. just that a couple weeks later i got. soft again you know yeah. but uh start using scope again yeah. exactly now so that's interesting so. what do you think about like.

because that takes a certain type of. person you know to go. and do that type of work that type of. grueling environment where it's almost. like a. testament of your will in addition to. you having to be employed at the same. time yeah you're doing a job but you. also. have to have this internal kind of thing. going on where you were gonna hold the. line you were going to keep. going do you think that that was. something that was always with you even. as a child. like were you always just kind of like a.

not a sucker for punishment but were you. always somebody that wanted to be like. in the fire or when you look back on. your youth do you see moments where. you kind of understand your behaviors. then and you still see them in yourself. now yeah you know a lot of it and so. i use sports as an example right and so. just playing something like football. right well what's on the football team i. was i mean look i went to 2a private. school so i've been like not like. working everybody plays. not like yeah everybody plays so it's. not like i'm saying i'm some great. athlete. right but like i wanted to be the leader.

on the team right like i wanted to be. leader so i could have played receiver. or running back or whatever but i want. to be quarterback because i wanted to. man the offense and 2a football also. played on the defensive side. went to defensive end but i wanted to be. in charge and then i knew i could pull. the most out of everybody right so the. best thing about playing to a private. ball is. everybody plays you got to get the most. out of them so i knew how to motivate. them. versus chewing their ass it was like get. their faces we're going to do this man. we're going to do good. and i think those leadership things and. that hard work because i left everything. on the field. i also want to do well in school you.

know and things like that so that. determination was always there and it. really paid off later. in a big way when i wanted to start this. dream right you know. right because yeah i guess now that's. something you notice in some people some. people are just good motivators you know. you feel like that's probably one of. your strongest suits yeah because look. man you know when i went. and worked in high school college and. restaurants it was more of a you're. doing wrong. i yelled at you you know and this. negative reinforcement doesn't work in. my business. if you go through raising cane you'll. see a bunch of happy smiling people but. they're going to crank out your food as. quick as they can. good quality but it comes from positive.

motivational management look like. i go through my kitchens go see my crews. all over the country right but i go. through the kitchen hey that's nice. toast. right and you think telling a college. kid they're like yeah i'm just grilling. toast big deal they're like hey thanks. hey thanks for the hard work y'all. appreciate it hearing good things you're. doing here the community loves you. positive positive positive because look. it comes down to it's hard it's hard to. work long shifts in a restaurant right. but they know i care about them then. they work even harder right. we got a question that came in right. here actually um here we go right here. for you and this isn't live just so you. know. okay and you know what i'm gonna pour my.

liquid death into a cane's cup for you. today you want to do that with me bro. i don't know drinking something called. liquid death but i trust you. yeah it's just water man i mean unless. you don't make it through this. it's a good water man they it's actually. a really good water but uh. it's good it's delicious it really is. man i don't know how they did it but. they did it somehow yeah that's. delicious i'm a big water guy by the way. so. that's good stuff me too well cheers. brother cheers. um yeah let's get to this question right.

here here we go. hey todd hey theo uh just wanted to come. and ask a quick question i'm out of. raising kane 61 in monroe. and i wanted to share my favorite story. with todd was one time he came through. and bought a whole bunch of cookies for. everybody on staff and i always thought. that was such a nice thing to do. so i wanted to ask todd what is your. favorite memory. from raising canes would it be your. first store would it be somewhere else. would it be your time before as like a. boilermaker. sockeye salmon fishing uh what you got. gang gang. boom boom gang baby that's a good.

question man and so. yeah do you have a favorite moment you. have any there could be many but you. have one that kind of stands out to you. or a sentimental moment something that. happened along the way. man you know i have so many of them and. here's the thing. when it's so hard to start something you. build a culture of appreciation. like every restaurant matters to me. every crew member matters to me. every box that goes out to every. customer matters to me and so. when you have this appreciation all. these moments so like going through. there and seeing a crew working hard i'm. like hey go get them some cookies. they're working hard do this thing is.

and seeing them. care well he remembers that it's just. interesting i mean we you know we just. asked for any for submissions of. thoughts or questions so that. you know like uh it's just interesting. that that's what someone would send yeah. you know he remembered that moment right. and look he's going to carry that. other things he does throughout his life. and say look treat people well. and when you do that it comes back so. everything is just the evolution of it. and where we're going now and now be. able to do hundreds of locations a year. and things like that. they're all special but i tell you the. thing that means the most to me is. is now having we you know we do well and.

financially. and then be able to do the things on. behalf of my crew that help out people. right you know like helping people that. aren't as fortunate as us. and i involve my crew when we do that. but i'm the representative i'm like it's. off y'all's hard work. i'd have to say those moments are the. most priceless to me because it's me and. my team doing that and we can help out. some people that need it. is there one that kind of stands out. because or just cheap one you'd like to. cite even. to kind of like well so so here's a good. example so. uh baton rouge has a big buddy program. right and so it was the first thing i.

got involved with her office is right. down from the mother ship our first. location. but gay and i she's a wonderful woman. she's devoted her life to help out these. these kids that just don't have the same. opportunities i didn't really. uh do what now gay who you're gay back. she's she's in charge of the big buddy. the director there okay but seeing these. kids go through and helping them when. their kids and. expose some other things and then be. successful later in life they all come. back they'll send letters and giggles. these letters back hey. you influenced me here you did these. things and now hey i got my law degree. or hey i went into entertainment or i. did i went for my dreams and you didn't.

give up. so i did i'd have to say that's the best. also just getting from our crew members. man like. the biggest moment recently is you know. last couple years my crew has. breaking me as a top 100 ceo in the. country it's this glass door deal at all. categories there's only a couple of. restaurants in this deal. but that's them voting for that and so. that was the biggest. recognition personally for me is i'm. like my crew just said you know that i'm. a good leader. i got almost 40 000 crew members i can't. see them i don't know them all by name. and things like that but. because of that leadership right that.

their leader treats them right and does. that. man you talk about it what an honor. right that's amazing man congratulations. well. it was quite an honor where does it come. from so like uh what was your dad like. when you were young yeah just uh he was. just uh just. always exposed me to business kind of. like i'm doing now and just always about. hard work and then always about. be polite to people things like that. those values and so i do the same things. with my kids now you know i'm like. taking them through it's like. like you met charlie earlier he's a good. young man. you can tell he just has a good uh he's.

a bit yeah you can just tell he's a kind. guy right when you meet him. yeah and that's what's the most. important thing in life right i tell. them the most important thing you could. ever do is be kind be kind be kind be. kind to people man and no matter where. and look we they've grown up they've. always had their own money and nice. things and this amazing stuff like he. gets to come here with you and. he meets all the we from kane browns. today with the cane's food truck he gets. to meet all these people oh cool yeah. kane was on a couple of months ago. what a great dude but you know i mean. like but but he gets it like hey. and so what i'm trying to teach these. kids is we're in a great position yeah. and for us we need to help other people.

out. amen yeah you know it's interesting i. find um. it's tough cause like i find it tough. whenever i get stressed not. to carry that on to who people that i'm. working with or in my work environment. it's been tough for me sometimes just. personally just to like you know to. it's been tough for me to manage some of. that sometimes yeah i think and i don't. know if it's because i don't take. proper maybe enough care of myself or. like invest. in enough of my self-care kind of to. make sure that i'm comfortable.

you know yeah sometimes i have this. thing where i always want to. struggle yeah but that keeps you that. could probably keep you driven right. yeah it keeps me driven but also it. keeps me a little bit stressed out. sometimes i think you know and so. especially now as my as my life has. gotten bigger in the past couple years. it's like. so figuring that out for myself has been. kind of tough you know because. yeah i'd love to be more in that space. where i'm leading through kindness all. the time you know well you know. i wish i could give you some some advice. on that and so the people that are. closest to me working all the time.

they see the stressed out todd they see. because man you know how it goes. stacked you're a detail guy like me and. you have to all the details and we need. to be driving. i hate the efficiency of time it's like. we getting to be cranky so the people as. close see. just kind of see that other tie that's. like zip zip zip zip zip and like we're. supposed to be on this in 10 minutes. but they understand and then i'll tell. them look sorry distressed and so they. know this and then i'll take the times. when i can get a breath. i appreciate you i do but i make sure. when i go see my restaurants or i'll go. see the big. offices and do those things i make sure.

they just feel nothing but love. right because if they're not around me. enough they don't understand like todd's. just stressed right now i need to be. there. they're busting their butt every day all. the things they're doing so even if i. see something that's not. right where it should be you know and. they do a great job always but i'm not. gonna go in and tell them anything. negative now i'll talk to the district. manager later and. people say hey we probably need to get. this better and i saw this but. motivational but. i'm the same way around your tight group. and they just know you and they love you. and they know you've got all the. pressure on you you know. i think it's hard for that that to leave. but uh i can figure it out someday.

yeah or i guess i should just do a. better job sometimes i communicate with. people when i am stressed or say hey. look i'm. i'm not i'm not i'm a little stressed. right now just to let you know if i act. stressed. it's because i am it's not personal yeah. and that's what i do but you always have. to be on for everybody everybody wants. theo you know and the. theo and that's a lot of pressure man. that's a lot that's a lot to have but. yeah them understanding hey i'm tired i. didn't sleep last night. hey i'm going to be stressed right now. just and they know you they know you. they love you and i only got one. chicken finger i'm the chicken finger so. you know. the batter's been all chewed off i feel.

like sometimes man that's for sure. um we got a question right here that. came in for you man. what up todd what up theo this is uh. barrett from sulphur louisiana what's up. brother uh first of all. theo i want to say it's real up. that you announced the tour schedule. and there's no dates in louisiana thank. you big time now bouncing back and forth. between la and nashville and you forgot. where you came from. okay show some love man i will give us. some shows alexandria i'm gonna come to. alexandria um.

todd i wanna say uh personally thank you. so much. for uh opening up the the cane. store here in sulphur uh right after the. hurricanes. whenever our area was affected by. hurricane laura and here at hurricane. delta. you are one of the first companies if. not the first company that was. uh you know serving food giving people. jobs like giving people stuff to eat man. like. just giving us some semblance of life. being back to normal so. we really appreciate that honestly my. question is.

you've already conquered the chicken. tender game so. what's next you know when you got people. like like chick-fil-a. they got all the sauces y'all gonna. start messing with some new sauces. uh you're gonna start doing like bone-in. chicken uh the real question. when are we getting spicy tenders all. right so. let me know what's next in the pipeline. gang gang baby. that's a good question yeah have there. been uh is there anything kind of new on. the horizon or there have been items. answer his question first i'm sorry go. on no it was a great question.

um but no i mean i've always believed in. doing one thing and do it better than. anybody else. and uh that's why we have raising cakes. chicken our tack line is one love and i. have one love it says quality chicken. finger meals. and so if you do what you do well and. consistently do it great. your customers will come back and let me. give you a a. reason let me tell you this like it's us. and chick-fil-a are one and two in quick. service average unit volumes like. mcdonald's sales are like a million less. than mine. right it's my repetitive customers that. come back because they're gonna get that. quality every time with a smiling face.

and so. if i added different things right added. spicy i've added these. one i wouldn't be as quick in the. drive-through right because the choices. go down. i wouldn't be able to cook it cook to. order like if you come through our line. we have a cook to order system. that literally goes through i have that. whole fry line set up to deliver that. quality meal right with the best quality. you can get. but if i added all these different. things bone-in chicken takes different. times i'd have hold times my quality. would go down my speed would go down. and it wouldn't be our concept our. concept is quality food spurred with. fast food speed and convenience.

and adding different things and losing. focus would lose while we're special. so when you even say the choices so. you're even talking to the minutia of. the fact that somebody then at a. drive-through. is having to make choices and that's. going to take more time that's going to. take more time right wow it's. interesting i've never thought of. the time it takes not only on the time. on my side of the counter. as the as the as the company but the. time it takes the uh. like managing the time of the person. showing up without even real. without them even really realizing it. yeah i mean we're over 60 drive through.

people want to come through when they. want to get it quick right. people know they're order canes box no. salt extra toast extra sauce boom sweet. tea you're out the door. or you're out through the drive through. and so we want to keep that time to. anneal some even like. not distracting things you know that are. going on like so even we have like right. now i did this russian recovery show but. i got. you know a picture of me and snoop. helping this one restaurant out even. that makes people stop for a little bit. and go do to do maybe ask a question the. window then we're like hey we need to. rethink this right i want them getting. through. because they got 20 cars behind them.

yeah you know wow. wow that's interesting man uh was there. now was there ever a moment along the. way where somebody's like hey man. you know you guys need to do uh. always always have always the the. experts are always like hey. you know you guys really need to add a. chicken finger salad. you know the health trends on the da da. da da and the other. and when i was younger i listened a. little more because i'm like wait maybe. these people are smarter than me maybe i. know more than me. and i'm look i'm always constantly. learning but my gut said no.

because if i do that chicken finger. salad chicken fish salad the quality is. not. not really there you know it's not the. same thing it won't be craveable. and they want to come back and say that. people told me but they scared me they. were like. well you're gonna get the the cancel. vote like if one person in the car. one of the parents wants it they're not. gonna go to you to go somewhere else i'm. like no. if the kids are gonna push them because. they want that quality right. staying true to what i've done not. listening. i know who i am and i'm not trying to be. all things to all people right because. if you try to be that then you're gonna.

you're gonna not not be anything to. anybody right i want that. craveable customer we call them kaniaks. and uh it's paid off brother. yeah and i thought it was cocaine at. first man trust me because i remember. the first time i ever did cocaine was. down at lsu man and i took a run i. thought it was performance-enhancing. drug i didn't know that it was like a. drug for just. night use or whatever so i went on a run. down by blue monitor down by the. railroad tracks dude i probably ran. almost 15 miles. jesus yeah that was not good dude that. was a bad that was a not good for the. heart yeah. good for the heart bro i still sometimes.

i can still feel my heart feels like it. has a. horse hoof in it man every now and then. it gets a little trotty. um today's program is brought to you by. the hulu original series modoc. you know i can't stop talking about this. show you know it's the craziest. wildest thing i've seen in a long time. modoc. is a super villain voiced by the. incredible patton oswalt. oh yeah did i mention that modoc stands. for mental organism. designed only for killing.

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was before people knew that i was funny. i mean some people knew but before like. a decent amount of people knew. man because then you had the element of. surprise you know. there was something nice about the. element of surprise like. you're going to be surprised you know. you can be surprised when i like this. joke but yeah this thing's right right. yeah and now people probably expect it. right yeah now people expect it which is. great but it it's you can you can't. really replicate that. when you when they didn't know yeah yeah. yeah yeah was there moments like i.

noticed in my business as my career goes. on that there are times where it's like. my. career feels like it's on a little bit. of like a. you know on elon musk's golf cart like. it's really cruising you know and then. there's times where it kind of has lulls. and i start to wonder what's going on. take me through some of the trajectory. of how you guys got out of one location. and then what started to happen and if. there were times where you felt like. okay this is where we've kind of. maximized um. did you get into the business like how.

do you have to transition from being at. the place to then getting more into the. business side of it. and uh just take me through some of that. please well except for me. you know the whole business has been one. series of getting uh getting your butt. kicked and learning from those mistakes. right so if you're not making mistakes. you're not getting out in the middle of. things right and so. you know one restaurant to the second. was the hardest growth we ever had. you know i grew too quick you know it. was other side of campus the one on lee. drive you probably. went to that one too i probably fried. your chicken late night there and but. but i wasn't i didn't have my staff.

ready i didn't have all my people. together and like i thought some people. wouldn't show up on shifts and i'm like. i can't be at both restaurants and then. getting butt kicked there that's. actually when my. my partner ended up saying hey man this. just isn't for me wow so it really. rattled the cage a little well you just. was like look. you're okay coming back all the time and. like when i have time when you have time. off you'll go work on schedules and. doing. learning better training programs he's. like i want to go back read the wall. street journal he was just more of that. business side of it. you know but like going from there then. i grew five restaurants in five months. these old drive-through double. drive-throughs and baton rouge were. going once again i stretched us too much.

we did a good job opening up in. lafayette which is the first in. lafayette louisiana the first one out of. the market uh crushed it there but then. i'm like i gotta hit. dallas and houston there's lsu grads. there but i grew in both those markets i. didn't set them up properly i grew too. quick got my butt kicked in both of them. lost a bunch of money until i could. bring it back up. series of things like that and now what. so if there was suggest so how would you. have done it differently looking back on. it a little bit if you could have done. it differently well. just so people can learn yeah yeah so. for me personally it uh. and now with the scale of the business.

is it was actually good for me to go and. make those mistakes because. now like i know it sounds like 100. locations down is a lot but look i'm 25. years in the business right we're at. that point i can open quality locations. so i didn't learn the hard way that's. the way i learn you know but if i. if i didn't have to learn the hard way. when i moved to dallas and houston to. put those restaurants in there i would. have slowed down. made sure i had the right team and that. they were properly supported i mean. these people more people didn't have the. right support for me. they worked themselves to the bone that. didn't feel good right you know i. would've gone the right way taking my.

time done it right now still. quick you know and got open and did the. things this but i would take a lot more. time setting it up plus the branding in. those areas i thought you just opened. the doors and everybody knew you and. came in. no no it's like a ghost town now i'm. back on the streets trying to get people. in. and so i would have taken my time built. a more strategic plan and then grew from. there but. that helped because when i went to new. markets still today look i'm coming into. nashville now i got the food truck here. it's going around to see people like. seeding the location i'm here personally. people getting to know me things.

like that those things have stayed with. me and our openings since those times. have been a lot more successful. you know it's interesting to hear some. of that like jimmy john uh john leotoe. you know he came. he's been on the podcast and he stopped. by this morning to say hey to you which. i thought was really nice. and um he talked about whenever they. first started franchising. how it just got away from him and the. stores weren't how he needed them to be. and he had to go on like a cross-country. tour to all of the locations. and this and and neither buy them back. from the people if they felt like it.

wasn't really the right fit. or to keep them you know to inspire them. and kind of. you know give actually put his stamp on. the way it should be done right and to. help them you know and uh i thought that. was pretty fascinating that that seemed. like a moment where he really had to get. back out there and almost do more work. than he had to do in the beginning. absolutely because you know. entrepreneurs you're excitable and you. want to grow and you want to build you. create look. that's our art our art is our business. is growing right and spreading. it we get happy when new people become. braving fans of our brands it's. it's what our gift of the world is and.

uh but you get. you get sucked in and you grow too quick. and then you go back and fix it it's way. harder to fix it than to go in the right. way. yeah and so the right way would be what. just a little bit just. be a little more patient you think like. let things take longer than you think. they're going to. yeah look go in with the right team and. so look so my growth. i'm just about all company restaurants. in the united states i got the franchise. what does that mean sorry just so we. know well so like so most of the people. at quick service are franchise models. right right. so you have corporate they have all the.

intellectual properties. the names like mcdonald's is a franchise. model franchise model right. subways franchise model taco bell and so. they have the systems and processes then. you go with. local franchisees who basically license. or franchise your concept. and then they go run those restaurants. so they do it you lose a lot of control. when you do that you have to have a real. good franchisees and so. for me i would rather open company. restaurants because i can control them i. mean i want these things run. exceptionally well it's all personal to. me and so i have more control and i. choose to partner with.

the restaurant partner i have at that. restaurant who he or she is like. working their butt off they're the todd. graves in their trade area where they. live. and so for me it's a lot more debt you. know people from corporations will. franchise because the local franchisees. will have to put in the debt on the. building and. you know all the startup money and. things like that i'd rather take that. on with my credit facility partner with. my internal people let them become. wealthy and and their family get to. enjoy that and to do it but so. but taking your time is setting it up.

getting the right people during your. restaurant whether it's a franchisee or. its company. you need to set those people up for. success you need to train train over. train. you need to have so much support going. in to get them started because it's hard. to get get that. cash flow going it's hard to get that. buzz going in your community so slowing. down. being strategic with growth and i'm glad. you're bringing this up because this. someone might be listening right now. that's. going to grow or something and they're. going to go too quick and it's like. you will have to come back and fix it. and then you'll slow down your growth so. much. set it up with the right people train.

properly then give them support. i want to let you guys know that tickets. are now available at theovonne.com. tour we have added shows in st. louis and durham as well as albany new. york. and we are adding another one in. columbus as well they're on sale for. charlotte cincinnati chattanooga. knoxville wilmington. wilkes-barre minneapolis charleston. richmond baltimore.

buffalo thank you very much check it out. theovan.com. tour and thank you so much for letting. me live out my dream i'm excited to see. you there. um i'm gonna look good here yeah your. hair looks great by the way oh thank you. very. much man amazing yeah it's coming in. well man i've had hair transplants too. i've had air taken out of the back and. put in the front oh no. your hair's thick man thanks man it's. pretty cool i like getting surgery so. it's like. for me because i like just you wake up. there and there's there's people around. like everybody. cares about you you know i feel like so.

cared about when i'm at the surgery. place but. um well i've got the same haircut since. i've been three have you. i guess you know what i could almost see. that man. that's was it did you go to church with. that cutter no yeah they just put a bowl. around my head and cut it now i'm not. that thick anymore so i can't use the. bowl technique. dude my mom used to take me to this lady. miss bobby well first of all. our our our bus driver would cut our. hair in covington so. mr this dude mr nat every like two weeks. he would park the bus on the way home. for a dollar fifty he would cut your. hair dude he literally would just go.

around the bus. everybody get the same cut there you go. like literally we all looked like we. were. part of some cult without kool-aid right. like just everybody was just. you show up you just have hair all over. your mom was like what happened the bus. driver i love it i got my hair cut by a. guy named r.l it was a place called. headquarters. and remember back then like the barbers. like they were family like. they got it and we got in high school. see all my friends went to rl. we were like hey can you do this cool. cut this thing i'd be like he'd listen. yeah yeah yeah z. folly had to leave rl you know and we.

all did and he took it personally he. hadn't talked to me to this day i am. i believe that man i remember those days. they always had the combs in that little. cup. oh that thing remember that blue liquid. or whatever yeah just sitting in there. it always felt like it was for your dad. you know yeah oh god that was crazy. man. and they would get that other thing with. that kind of like smoke in it or. whatever and put it on your neck. yeah what was that i don't know it's. like that dust yeah it was that powder. it made me all. chalky man i'm like what is this they. thought that was like the nice touch in. the end yeah. yeah it was a little bit old school yeah.

it was a little bit i always left out. there looking like benjamin franklin a. little bit i feel like. we got a question that came up right. here for you uh let's get into it. hi todd and theo this is ethan from long. beach california. todd i'm a huge fan of your company. everyone at your stores is always in. such a good mood and is so. friendly i would love to hear more about. this restaurant recovery project you're. doing. it sounds like an awesome cause to. support small businesses. and yeah i really think it's going to be. a great thing for especially during this.

time. have a great day thanks brother great. thank you. yeah so when the pandemic started our. business sales actually went up. okay okay so we have drive-thru format. so that became a thing i don't know if. you remember when it when it started of. course you do but. it was like essential business and like. people couldn't go to restaurants but. they could go through drive-throughs oh. wow so drive-through is suddenly just. the luckiest thing on earth. dude exactly and so man like our sales. go up but we're up like 10 even up to 20. percent right it didn't feel good. because where we're getting that. business from was these family-owned.

independent restaurants that. predominantly dine in. and so i thought what we could do and i. mean i got on social media and stuff. like support small business. think about going to them they're. suffering us chains are fine you know. and it's like. what can i do i've done tv before i. understand the the power of it and i. said well you know what being an. entrepreneur i said like i went hired a. production company started restaurant. recovery. i knew i could do it during that time my. team was good so i picked 10 markets. where kane's. markets are so i could use our help with. our people pick these. legendary restaurants these family.

restaurants are just really going. through a hard time took in a team kind. of like an extreme home makeover deal. got him exposure and involved a lot of. my celeb friends to come help out too. which was really special and neat yeah. rob schneider did one yeah yes i was. nice enough to come out and do uh. the phoenix episode and like just this. family she's a pakistani lady. and does the business with her son omar. and i mean look they. they serve just really really good food. but they're in tempe and the university. shut down no classes about that. going you know overnight and so i.

brought rob in uh also deandre hopkins. came in. oh that's cool dude he came in the. monday after the catch these famous cats. in the end zone yeah and so i got him to. come out and these are just community. guys right so. uh rob's like yes i'll help out. deandre's like yes i'll come out so. deandre fired on my team we had to get. this thing done in 48 hours so he. started off they were like wow. work production even went higher than i. could think this group works real hard. and then rob came in with a family like. look they're good to see the stress on. their face but him coming in funny guy. caring they're laughing like look let's.

we're gonna get through this together. really great man and. basically the thing i was able to see. more than anything else is they're. all pretty predominantly dining room. business that was gone taken away. so needed to put them into like make. them a to-go machine right. which sounds easy but it's not like to. do it right you got to have mobile. ordering you got to have curbside. delivery takes a lot of technology right. right it's not something a restaurant. owner is just trying to keep the. business open every day. doing racking up credit card debt. keeping their people employed. yeah you could do that right especially. if it's not a man like a you know you.

think of a small business guy he shows. up he puts the pot on the stove in the. morning. and starts making the gazpacho or. whatever it is like so yeah that person. isn't going to go from that to having. that app or that ability to uh to make. things mobile they don't have the. resources for that right so i could go. in and help them do that and then. preserve these places right i mean. look you know i'm a chain and. i like getting business obviously right. we do a good job and we work hard for it. but. we have all the advantages i got a huge. marketing budget right.

got big shiny buildings right in the. best locations and people see that and. it's that constant state of mind so what. i try to tell people. is hey i'm glad you came to keynes but. look think about that. neighborhood restaurant that you love. like they need your business they don't. make that much money. and when they're gone they get replaced. by high-rise. or a chain we don't need more of those. we need those legendary restaurants. diversity of thoughts small business go. to that small hardware store. you got to go the big box to get some. stuff go to that little hardware shop go. go support that small business a. background backbone of our country. plus different thoughts it makes things.

great they're the cultural centers of. our neighborhood we need to support them. yeah do you worry about i know like. minimum wage increase and stuff like. that do you worry about that affecting. businesses like i hear. stuff about like that do you worry about. that affecting small businesses yeah i. worry about. the people that just don't have enough. sales to support it and might not have. as sophisticated pricing strategies okay. so. for me you know quick service. restaurants. might make between five and ten percent. bottom line okay so. everybody that comes in you're doing. good if you made five cents on a dollar.

ten 10 cents on a dollar you're doing. great and so that means if somebody. spends a dollar you make 10 cents. you make doing well it's usually five. between five cents and ten cents so. there's just not much margin there right. wow and between that five and ten cents. for every dollar spent there when you. have commodity pressures and things like. that which price a chicken goes up then. it just goes down and so you just got. slim margins that's four. before taxes that's five cents to ten. cents a dollar before then you go get. the taxes so if i spend ten dollars at a. raising cain's. right at a what's the quick service you. talking about yeah quick service fast.

food. okay so if i spend ten dollars at a. quick service restaurant. then if they're making 10 cents of that. so if they're making a dollar out of 10. dollars that i spend then they're doing. well. doing well wow that's 10 percent doing. well then that's before taxes right and. that's real numbers huh that's real. numbers and so when you think about it. we don't have margin to share right. because. um if labor prices go up. right and you got to do it you have to. pass it on to the customer there's no. way. that you can supply because if it goes. below five percent and gets lower you.

can't lose money well and then you can't. go. you're not gonna go put the uh. investment in to build and grow and. create more jobs and do it right so. the next location the roi is not there. and so you won you wouldn't spend the. money and two the banks are gonna be. like hey you're not making return on. investment like we're not gonna continue. to lend you money. and so just the margins are that small. but so for me it doesn't. it doesn't hurt keynes because you're. gonna eventually pass it on right. wages go up then you're going to raise. the price of the chicken finger box. right it's just going to go up. and we have and you can't do that. overnight you have to stage into it and.

so we're. we just have a lot of resources man i. mean like i have a strategy for pricing. the tough artists for small business. that don't think about that pricing and. then they don't want to do it the next. thing you know their their margins go. too small but. look it's going there fifteen dollars uh. uh an hour minimum wage. we're going there i just i give advice. to small business i'm like. you have to pass it on and we're going. to go up but plan your pricing. strategies. ease into it and let your customers know. hey look just it's it's. labor prices and so it goes up so it.

doesn't really concern me. it's a pricing strategy for small. business right because you have such a. bra. such a breadth of of information you can. pull in and you can look at it and you. can like. plan on a big scale but for someone. who's just kind of like made their menu. and it's very basic and. they're not thinking like oh well if the. cost of this goes up 50 cents. then i don't even make any money until. probably six months down the line when. they look at their books and like what. happened. what happened that's exactly what. happens and they don't these all these. small business owners they are so. reluctant to take price increases they. don't want their customers to pay i'm.

like. i know you have to or you're going to be. out of business you know isn't that. interesting about that about that about. sometimes about. people don't want to charge like i get. that way sometimes like i don't want to. make my tickets real expensive you know. i don't want to. even though sometimes i'll see other. people like holy smokes you know that. guy's tickets that price that's crazy. you know. but i'll get nervous about that i i. don't even know if it's nervous i don't. want to bother i don't want to. i don't know what it is i know i i think. i only take a crack at it.

you start it from nothing and you. appreciate every fan and it means. something to you so it's you take it. personal right and so. you generally hold back same with small. business right they started from nothing. they've scratched they called and now. they have a a living and they don't want. to pass that on they're like i don't. want to do that to my customers i would. imagine you're probably the same way. yeah and it's exact opposite in big. corporate america especially in. restaurants. like those cfo types are like they. already have their pricing. it's not a personal decision it's all a. financial decision that they're doing. it's different for people that that care.

you know. is it interesting at a certain point as. you grow and as. things turn more from like sit like. manning a fryer. to um. to like business like i noticed with. business the more business. i start doing the more business i have. to do you know and so it's tough because. you want to grow and you want to make. things bigger. and give other people opportunities but. it also like it's it's tough to be like.

how much is enough business you know how. much is enough. revenue like how much is enough you know. have there been moments in your world. where you've kind of battled with that. kind of stuff. or yeah absolutely you know all on the. way and so. what i had to set for myself was my. personal goals. and what ultimately i see happiness. being for me okay and so i set the. vision for raising canes and this is our. vision statement. is to have locations all over the world. be known as the brand for quality.

chicken finger meals. okay great crew cool culture and active. community involvement. okay so that's me happiness right and so. look. i believe god made me good at this for a. reason and that's to be able to help. people right. but when i set that vision you think. about it it's not just i won't have. locations all the world there's nothing. about i want to make a bunch of money. i've got all these things in there. it's literally while i went to keynes. great food. then oh wow friendly crew cool culture. and then they give money back and they. work in the communities so that's guided.

me right and so when i know i. i know i need to do that then i'm going. to grow it and so mine's an infinite. vision like i. i won't see it all over the world you. know i mean i'm gonna we're starting to. grow but i can't develop the whole world. you know i mean by the time i'm you know. god willing to live a long life but. you know those things are going so. that's helped to guide me right. and so i passed up my financial goals. really early on. and so for me is when time hits the. grind hits and it always hits. it kept me motivated when i didn't have. the team around me that helped support.

me always had people that worked hard. and did but i couldn't afford. the teams i do now right i knew i'd get. to this point. and look by the grace of god right now i. got really really solid teams very. much more smarter than i am and in the. respective things they do. so we're a stronger team and i feel like. now just now and i'm pushing 50 i'm 49. now. almost 25 years in business just now. that i'm not like waking up every. morning with that thing in my belly but. i'm. i'm hitting that vision so wow anyway. but different times it hit i'm like oh. my god todd you know.

you're so stressed out you know you. haven't you haven't. relaxed or you haven't done time family. and things like that. and then i was like but look that vision. puts me through ultimately it's going to. really help people. and and you just got to stick with it. and go you know and so that was just my. personal thing and so. that's paid off by setting real goals. like people need to set real goals and. real vision. considering what you're working for some. people get beyond that and look they. don't want to grow like me all over the. world they want to do certain things and. in. all walks of life and then they get lost. in wait a minute this is what i really. wanted to do and it wasn't what i wanted. to do to be happy right so now they're.

bigger. they're this but they're not happy right. and that that's kind of a heartbreaker. you know at times you know something. people need to think strategically. where am i going you know yeah it's. interesting man yeah i think about that. sometimes like i think one of our. original goals with podcasting was just. to kind of share what we're thinking and. feeling. and then to we started getting into like. helping and like giving back. we do some stuff for single moms and. things like that where we try to. we haven't gotten it like incorporated. yet so we could make it like a real. non-profit you know that that arm of it. but i certainly hope to at some point um.

but sometimes i have to remember that. that's what's kind of important you know. yeah. that's leaving something positive you. know it almost feels so stale to make. money if. there's not some positive part of it in. a way there's got to be. something greater than us to go do it. right and look man. i'm at a point now where i can do a lot. of things and with the scale of the. business and do it. giving you get so much more back right. and then it just gives your life purpose. right so. giving comes in other ways not just. charity just giving money to these. things is it's inspiring people you know.

it's it's it's someone saying hey. i have this dream and like look this. chicken finger guy did it. even commercial fish in alaska. reconstructed the first place but he's. working hard. and i can do it you know what i mean. those things are gifts that you can give. people look how much we learn from. people on the way. you know what i mean people say hey. you're self-made man i'm like. no i'm not man i'm a collection of what. i wanted to do but help but people along. the way right you know. so giving back parts really cool what. were some um. was it was there an item so i don't. forget was there a uh.

was there a menu item you guys ever. tried like a banana pudding was there. something you guys ever. came out with or tried or that was the. closest one even early on. man no i just stick stuck with that one. love brother. same menu since day one man and just. knowing that but that's been a big key. to my successes. is just like i said knowing that's what. i do stay focused. man i've never even added dessert and. i'm not anti-dessert not anti-dessert. it just would take focus off of what.

we're doing you know and so look so. here's the interesting thing in san. antonio airport we went in there. they have city mandates and so you had. to have a healthy item you had to add. uh breakfast and then they even wanted. dessert when it well-rounded. so we added a chicken finger salad for. them right it started off 20 of sales of. chicken finger salad. and then it slowly dipped it back then. it went rapid and became one percent of. sales because people are like once they. try the chicken fingers it just shows. you like right. it's it's a non-item for me right we. have these great cookies all this stuff.

is people need to deserve canes you. finish that man you're good to go. so then but but for those locations you. had to have that. city mandates right they just need yeah. they just the city council says hey we. need healthy we need. we need these things to make it. well-rounded because like sometimes it. scares them a concept like mine. going in because it's just that one. thing right we don't have that problem. anymore now. what uh dessert did y'all put in that. airport it's cookies they have these. great. chocolate cookies you know and i could. get the pucks and i mean i tried. thousands of cookies and all that but. like in the end you know people got in. the beginning but that meal so flavorful.

and good. that cookie couldn't match that chicken. i was i'm not a cookie guy i can't make. that same kind of dessert so. look everything on my menu has to be. exceptional right. freshly brewed tea look i sourced my tea. from three different countries and like. i know the tea leaves are coming in. freshly squeezed lemonade i can do it on. crushed ice so it's like. laser focus on these items being good. and then keeping that what's hard is. when you scale. like i have so many different. procurements across the country to get. these products i'm constantly trying our. food we have actually a big r d culinary. team.

just to make sure it stays consistent. right wow. man i uh was there. at certain points did you have to get. help like one thing i struggle with. sometimes is. asking for help you know or sourcing out. work you know that sort of thing like. knowing that it's not going to be done. how i want it to be done that sort of. thing you know some control issues. probably just. things that i use as a child that would. help me control my world you know. but that as now as an adult aren't. really as helpful not to just like trust.

my employees that i. that i trust you know i don't have a. bunch of employees but just like i. noticed that even in all in all walks of. my life even in relationships like. to trust somebody to care about me all. that kind of stuff did you notice in in. your. in your business were there moments. where it was like. okay i'm not doing like was it tough to. go into that space because obviously you. can't do all this alone what was some of. that experience like was it hard for you. as a person to do something oh man it. was so hard right so. i was a person frying everybody's. chicken you know every piece of.

equipment like the first location you. used to go to man like i put in every. board i mean i like. literally that's my baby so i was used. to doing all of it was it by serranos. were you restaurants oh yeah yeah yeah. yeah right there on that right there. varsity the serranos and canes right oh. yeah my ex-girlfriend used to forget. serrano. good margarita yeah they had i mean they. had everything in there dude everything. was good good margarita it's uh it's. something else now unfortunately it's. gone but chimes are still there. yeah and they added a rooftop at times. you see that cool oh man i live a minute. from there man i'll. go out there and have beers all the time. man okay this time of year was nice.

and this is lsu this is lsu campus for. listeners that don't know this is all. right. off of the uh north gates of lsu campus. and it's nice being part of that. community because you have all the old. ones louie's you know the breakfast spot. you know. yeah my mother went there a couple weeks. ago actually there you go and like. frenchie's always in there cooking your. food and clark has highland coffees and. you have. you have chimes you have the varsity you. have raisin cane's original mothership. and that. whole community is just great i actually. have the raisin canes i have. i got i've lived in the apartment behind. the first gains and so literally that's. where i started construction. did everything there that's why my dog.

was out there kane and a friend said you. ought to name it raising canes after. your dog like oh nice. all happened because it was right there. it's nice being part of the community. yeah you guys built that. dog park too over there yeah yeah yeah i. love that yeah dude i took my nephew. there so i didn't know where to take him. we didn't even have a dog so i took him. over there my brother let me watch him. for a couple hours dude i took him over. there he was literally. tackling basset hounds out there it was. unbelievable man. and then something nipped at him i think. a little shiba inu or something nipped. at him and so we had to take him home. but. yeah man that kid could catch a ball in.

his mouth dude no doubt man. my nephew's a wildcat yeah i took him. right there that's cool i love it you. didn't have a dog. you're like i'll bring you there. there'll be dogs you can oh i took him. there too yeah he was really dangerous. man but. he did an upgrade there but uh at the. dog park maybe with new sections it got. used. so much he couldn't even keep grass and. stuff so uh it's nice over there thank. you guys for doing that. um but just look back to your deal on. the on the being able to like yeah the. controller. control deal and i'm extremely detailed. and this is my baby. and so over time it really hindered me. it really did it hurt our growth it hurt.

our. creative thinking because i was just. overly overly controlling. and then i learned it's kind of a. maturity thing right over time. then you say hey you look at a series of. getting screwed up and getting beat up. and getting tired and all those things. along the way you're like look i need to. bring in people. and the biggest strength as you build. your teams is bringing people are. smarter than you you know wow. not a threat bring in people that are. good at their own respective ways. and then you do it but it doesn't mean. not being a detailed oriented it doesn't. mean you're not into the details.

and you're not helping people like oh. just delegate like just delegate what. kind of word is that no it's it's. work with great leaders but still be in. the details but it helps to scale you so. i had to learn that way and i tell you. it's the best of my workload thinking. about right now 600 locations we'll do. 100 next year. but my workload's better than it ever. has been and my balance of life because. i've trusted my teams. i'm into the details right i'm still. doing that. but i've trusted people to come in that. are better than me and grow so that was. a big big maturity. learning for me man it's hard it's hard.

is it hard. and then you screw up again and then you. run people off because they're like i. don't hear about. the things and so i finally and like i. said now i'm pushing 50 i've really kind. of matured into that. doing but it's interesting interesting. too it's like it's really important. it's not details you should be in the. details so. people used to tell me the experts again. like you just won't know what these. things are going on you can't do these. things when you get big. right well i'm bigger than all of them. now right and so but like i do know this. like. my co-ceo aj kumaron they said you can't.

keep writing notes to people. he wrote a thousand notes the other day. right he's like i'm going to take my. time. and do the things because i'm going to. scale you know um. edison sweat sweats is the boating. company off of louisiana. well anyway he built barry swift he. built these boats. you know crew boats all this stuff to. support huge company multi-billion. dollar company. he even got down to the details in his. business to know how much the bottled. waters they were spending because. there was just this rampant spending on. bottled waters no one was looking at he. said look. it's not just a bottle of water our.

company makes billions of dollars but. that carries over to everything else him. staying in the details like most. successful. people i know stay in the details but. they trust people hmm. interesting balance it's hard it's hard. man it is hard and then you get your. butt kicked so many times and finally. you kind of. settle into it and see the see the. strength of it almost out of exhaustion. huh yeah. were you surprised whenever you started. to trust people how things flourish were. you almost shocked. absolutely and it was also trial and. error me getting used to it and also. trusted some people that weren't.

as great as they should have been and we. fall back but look it's just. more mistakes and you learn from them. i've gotten really good. at understanding talented people but at. kane's if you're going to work at keynes. you can be the smartest person in the. world and good at what you do if you. don't have heart or line with the values. of our company. or this vision you don't work out and. it's really interesting so. what i used to do to do serious. interviews which i thought was. is about five times as long now i mean. like for people's positions like we. spend so much more time because. i don't want them to come in and not be.

successful this is these people's lives. and as important as mine. but taking that extra time then it's. there's people you can trust better. right you get through that process. what type of person does it take to run. a uh. run a store to be a partner in that. business what type of. you know you must know by now what type. of person it takes yeah. first off it takes someone who loves the. food business right it's it's. interesting business it's a hard. business you got to love it so look. on my sleeve at raising canes it says. fry cook cashier my business card says.

founder chairman ceo fraca cashier it's. like. you got to be a fraud code cashier you. got to love it i like working fry lines. i like working drive through i love the. pace of the business i like cooking. you know all these things and so you. have to get someone that just. loves that business you have to get. somebody that's positive. like like we talked about a positive. motivational management people that want. to encourage people through. because you get so much more with the. honey then you try more flies with honey. than uh. then whatever else vinegar i think. scotch or scotch yeah. yeah so anyway so it's like you got to.

have someone that's aligned to those. values. and somebody that knows the purpose is. bigger than them right it's about. helping people because. when you're someone does you know five. people get sick or can come in and. you've got to cover those shifts and do. these things. also there's sacrifice you know i mean. like we value family like you see me. with my kids and so do this stuff but. sometimes. something's going wrong you have to miss. that t-ball game now we want you to make. the next one. you know what i mean but it's that. commitment to say and to be a community. leader. you know that those are the things that. resonate and man we get people that are.

really great from other concepts they. come into keynes and it's like this is. my last stop and i'm here forever and. then we can partner and then. they become like the todd graves in. their community wow so pretty cool. that's interesting man. and uh and sometimes you need help and a. person or. group or. place that is not even a place actually. that can help you is better help. you can start communicating with a. therapist soon quickly under 48 hours. the services available for clients.

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visit their website yep visit. betterhelp.com. theo that's b-e-t-t-e-r-h-e-l-p. and join the over one million people who. have taken charge of their mental health. with the help. of an experienced professional this. podcast is sponsored by better help. and this past weekend listeners get 10. percent off their first month. at betterhelp.com theo sean we got a. good question that came out was that one. you pulled up or. yeah there we go that's it yep yo yo.

it's gio palermo from akron ohio what's. up mr raisin kane. um i had a question for you today. i'm a big fan of your establishment your. chicken establishment your buns. your coast law all the the chicken the. fries. big fan of that but i was wondering you. know you're in a very competitive market. against a lot of good chicken um. chicken establishments and i was. wondering who do you fear the most in. the chicken game yeah do you. fear you know the zaxby's chicken the. bojangs.

the chicky filet the popeyes the. churches. you know um let me know who's your who. are you scared of who you fear the most. yeah gang gang who's that foul voldemort. man who's the dark yeah who's that. who's the colder part of voldemort so. fortunately. we are very symbiotic with all those. concepts right. so we're next to every chick-fil-a you. know i mean in this in the trade areas. we're doing business in we're next to. chick-fil-a we're next to popeyes we're.

next to zaxby's we're next to all those. and what we see. is since we've stayed true to our one. love our chicken finger meal. someone will go to chick-fil-a on a. tuesday but then on thursday they're. coming to get our chicken finger meals. right. they know what we're about they might go. to zaxby's as a really expanded menu so. which is works for them is good so then. someone might get a salad from there. they might. go somewhere else and get bone chicken. you know at popeyes but. we don't see like our competitors can. run some kind of like special like. we get a bunch of competitors but they. might run a special on chicken fingers.

like we don't lose a. cent of business they know they're. coming for our quality our sauce. our things so we do well with all the. national players. um we actually should we do better than. most of them. the thing that gets me is the young. person that has the fire of todd graves. going that wants to come and. compete directly right and you know says. hey i'm gonna go head-to-head with canes. i'm gonna do the same thing they do. and do it and we get it all the time now. what it does is once again that.

entrepreneur instance is so personal to. me and my team you better get up early. in the morning you better work late at. night man because this is what we do. this is my it's part of my dna man it's. representation of my family so you bet. you better come with all your guns. because i love young entrepreneurs and. everybody takes ideas from everybody. right i mean guthrie started the whole. phenomenon. but like you better bring it you're. going to pete compete with raising canes. because this is my world. dang that's it now have you ever thought. about do you guys go to like china is. there like an asian like has ever been. like a. like a rice in canes or like sometimes i.

remember one time i remember being in um. i think i was in singapore and the kfc. the colonel on the sign there. is an asian colonel like i never thought. about that before i'd always just. thought it looked like the same kind of. like basic caucasian guy. right so has there been um do you guys. are you guys a global brand right now. no we're in the middle east so i went to. the middle east first for a couple. reasons one partner. muhammad al-shaya we resonate with each.

other on values right so he's like. one of the large players there does all. kind of franchisees puts. puts the right people behind it he cares. and we're lying value-wise right so he's. like some of his values are like. getting the middle eastern people in the. workforce right because oil's gonna. dry up one day right you know what i. mean like working women you know. like these countries man like we had one. of the first women drivers come through. our drive-through and saudi in the. kingdom man that felt good that's right. wow. seeing what things change over time. right like getting to play music. and saudi like they're all no music you.

can't do these things it's like let's. play some instrumental saudi music like. i gotta have music when you're going. somewhere. now the crazy ones don't play some wild. music instrumental music. now you can play this classic music in. your restaurants. things like that so he and i were. committed and we knew and if there was a. problem we could work through it. together so one was partner then two the. middle east they. accept american concepts like don't have. to change it don't have to do other. things because. like i haven't changed the menu my whole. adult life right right. so i want to go somewhere and prove that. it's working well it's doing well we got.

like 30 in the whole area. um they're crazy about it um we don't. have the international celebrity. like everybody knows us so we build the. business and so. i'm really excited next step asia and. like i said i don't really want to. change. what i do i might consider something. with the slogs i'm not i'm not a. sloth fan like people always like do you. like your slaw i'm like no man don't. like the slaw. that's why you can trade it out for. extra toast or or sauce. um but maybe we'll play with some things. like their local produce they like slaw. too but. maybe something like that but like i'm.

not changing what i do you know what i. mean and if i had to change what i do to. go in somewhere then. i just don't need to go there right do. y'all cook the toast extra if people ask. for it. do we do it now we all cook the toast. extra if people ask for it like. like longer yeah yeah we'll give the. customer what they want now it drives me. crazy because it's like it uh look we. have underground menus and they get. different stuff and it's like it slows. down the line but i'm not going to tell. the customer no yeah i want to give them. what they want. yeah i like a little bit extra even if i. get pancakes i ask them to cook them. extra crispy yeah that's like a little. more crisped out a little bit for some. reason.

um sean to be another question that came. in what up. theo it's nate from iowa. just thought i'd call into the show see. if this works you know. ask a question for mr graves uh. first of all theo i love your show it's. such a huge encouragement to me man. and thanks brother mr graves i just want. to ask you. um when you're cooking it up in the. kitchen. you know at home are there any songs. that you like to listen to or artists.

you like to listen to me personally i. like to listen to a little frank sinatra. you know what i'm saying. you ever think about getting in the. spaghetti business because i'm making. some meatballs tonight baby. oh gang oh wow he's got some beautiful. balls sand. anyway thank you mr graves thank you. theo. gang gang bro thank you for the question. man yeah. do you like a little bit of background. what do you enjoy todd. music wise yeah everything man. everything i'm a big fan of music love. music and that's why in restaurants when.

i started my restaurants man we're. listening to them using kitchen it's. crazy people used to not do that. and i'm like we're listening to music i. like it all man so i like it i like my. country. i like my national country i like my old. school red dirt country. from uh from texas i love my boys. playing black. well uh clint black really wouldn't. guess just to say more of a robert roll. king. oh you know and all these young guys. coming cowetzel and. those guys man they just got they got a. good sound and they're pure who they are. i'm out of the old graves. oh that guy's great willie nelson's so.

good oh he's great and he likes canes. and he's such a nice guy. my chicken finger adventures i got to. meet all these really cool people billy. gibbons last night i got to meet i mean. how cool but um and they're all canes. fans which is crazy. we'll get into that later but uh i like. that down to like a dean martin i play. when i cook it depends on the mood i. like travis scott i mean like. post malone i just like all forms of. music and for me is staying relevant. right i got a young fan base right. a young young fan base and so not. becoming a dinosaur. and just listening to your old stuff so. it's good having kids and go through.

this. but it's fun because i'm friends with. these artists so like grabber scott gave. me these shoes right oh god. he grew up in missouri city and he went. to the canes and they were crazy about. it. and then he grows and he hears a story. this guy started this and then they want. to meet post he's like i got to become. friends and. and these are brilliant guys but they're. cool as hell right and it's like. so listening their music means means. more to me right. right it's like you're staying in touch. with something yeah you stay in touch. with something and you know they're out. there. working hard you know they got good. hearts you know and snoop dogg's a great.

friend and so he was in baton rouge. years ago he's driving through the. original canes right he was down there. with master p. oh yeah oh man that was like town when. he came in it was great bro that was a. crazy time so i remember i would used to. go to the rec center right. yeah and master p this is when this is. before c murder had gone to jail. and silk the shocker they would they. would be in there and they used to fly. like. nba players would fly in and play at the. lsu rec center i know i used to go man. watch these guys ball they could play. dude it was crazy yeah and they would. have i remember they had these guys who. would stand on the side of the court.

holding like their clothes they were. gonna wear after literally the guy's job. was to stand there with his arms. straight out it was almost like they. were clothing racks. and they would have all their clothes. draped over them that they were going to. wear after the after they played. and we'd go sit in there and watch them. uh yeah just playing the wrecks. it was a crazy time wasn't it man it was. great and so so dog snoop dogg would. drive through. canes afterwards and they'd always have. that extra box and he's like. who's the box for for p you know because. b always went back. i guess he was the one changing doing he. had a great business going then but. it's nice to resonate with these guys.

and so like with snoop and he helped me. out with the. uh wrestle recovery episode in l.a. because he's got a big heart but like. when we get together we go to this. compound we talk about kids we talk. about what we're doing charity we're. talking about friends like. people know as an entertainer all these. guys look like good heart good soul and. so. this is what gives me hope for the. future is these younger ones too they. got heart they're good people just like. you you've got good values. and these younger people look up to you. all right they look up to you but when. you keep showing these good values. then people go okay the people i think. are coolest in this world are the ones.

that are. working hard and they have good values. right i don't know many successful. people. that don't that aren't good people you. know jaylen ramsey's here in town. he's a superstar in his deal but i'm. meeting with his dad later tonight he. and his dad were having dinner things. like that. one of the best backs and then on the. other end michael thomas one of the best. receivers of all times right. we talk about family stuff good stuff we. have a good time too now you know what i. mean but. it's all about that stuff and so it. makes me feel good about our country. because when. you have i like supporting celebrities. and they're kind of charity because.

it gets amplified and that means where. people say if these superstars have this. humility and they got these values. then i want to be i want to be like them. right role models just like you you will. not believe your influence. that goes through to other people and. the things you're doing just like our. man nate just said. he really appreciates you and an. inspiration to him and i think. all of us whether you're chicken finger. famous or here are. our in your world we need to be good. examples. these things that matter man some of. these things that don't matter they. don't matter in those people's lives we.

need. we need inspiration yeah it's uh. especially these days it's tough because. a lot of mainstream media seems like it. battles against that they don't. you know it's not like and that could. just be not even true i mean but. it seems like there's a lot of dark arts. that are more out there at play. yeah so it almost seems like a time. better to kind of lean into the good and. uh and just try our best more than ever. right now leaning to the good. leading to the positive support each. other be cool to each other you're like. me you've got friends from all walks of. life right. we're doing these things let's don't let.

people think that we don't care we got a. long way to go. yeah as a society but like pitting. people against each other. and making sensationalism out of it. making money off people being against. each other. wrong move for our country wrong move. it's going to get. so bad that then they'll have to cycle. back because people are stuck. they're not listening as much to the to. the negative and the sensationalism. they're starting to figure it out. yeah yeah i think that's pretty cool to. see um when so when you look to your. horizon of life like uh. was there a moment where you realized.

okay i can. not take a break but i've achieved. i've achieved you know i think there's a. thing inside of entrepreneurs like. some girl asked me the other day she. goes how is your life like now you know. you kind of have some of the things that. you want or you've achieved some of your. successes some of your goals. and i was like man it's not really that. different the gas pedal that's always. kind of had me be like i want to do. stuff. has never really the foot never really. comes off it. i don't think it's always kind of this.

now what kind of thing like not always. in a bigger way but now. what maybe in a more important way or. now what. um in more of a human way you know it. might have it has evolved some. but um was it remember where you kind of. realized okay. ah you know a little bit yeah yeah so uh. financially right so we we hit on this. earlier but like. growing it meeting my wife then going. through now i got kids. i'm highly leveraged i wanted to go and.

have. things now i'm not talking rolls royces. and stuff but like. education decent house you know things. like this and so. that was a big one because i was. levering the business too much and. the big lesson to me is i had 28. locations when hurricane katrina hit all. south louisiana. okay mostly south louisiana 21 of 28 of. those went down. i levered the business what i was doing. is banking back then was. was was a lot more lenient and what i. would do is. i'd go into community find a community.

bank then i'd have a sub debt investor. meaning. subordinated debt to the bank i could go. raise. 100 200 000 and give them a subordinated. note to the bank means the bank gets. their money first. and but i'ma pay you a 15 return this is. just kind of my. entrepreneurial financing what i did and. the banks would actually kind of use. that as equity. saying what you got 200 000 it's like an. equity thing terrible thing you're just. totally leveraging yourself. yeah it's a lot is a lot but i was able. to do all these locations and dignity. ding and i don't want to sell i didn't.

want private equity partners i wanted i. wanted to own it and control it. and when it went down so like our. restaurants had opened a restaurant. so first paycheck to crew members is two. weeks. i got sales coming in pay the vendors 30. days. right pay rent in 30 days so i was. creating cash right like i didn't have. to do my expenses. sales are coming in so when i kept. opening these locations i kept creating. cash for the company and kept growing. highly levered it. totally stupid by the way because often. katrina comes in. you got cash flow stops and you're like.

whoa like i almost just screwed up the. whole thing man i mean. and i would have bounced back and came. back but it wouldn't be what we are. today. wow but we were able to rally our troops. we were the first ones to open. our business survived and did well but. i'll never forget that deal. and then it stayed with me that ache in. my belly like because i'm putting. everything towards canes i'm. everything's leveraged i'm in monstrous. debt and i just didn't have that nest. egg for my family you know what has. something happened to me you know what i. mean what happens out to mom or whatever. especially when your last name is graves. you're freaking halfway there you're.

already halfway there right reaper's. already freaking you know he's already. got a tattoo on you yeah. so it that felt good when i was able to. put money aside and do that. and put it away but you know and and so. that was like a. but with that vision and what i want to. do like to me is i. keep working hard for that vision. because i know it's my purpose right. right and i believe with people like us. okay like. when you create and do you're never. going to stop creating and doing because. it's part of what you are it's part of. your dna and i do i do firmly believe. this.

if you're not going ahead it doesn't. need to be this but if you're not moving. forward on things if you're not. creating if you're not working you're. not doing things then you're sliding. behind there's no. coast like in all my life's experiences. you always got to kind of do if we're. this way whether it's this or this we. have to keep going like. if you stop you slip back yeah and look. at people which i think is retirement. you know if some people want to retire i. think that's when they're. hey i'm gonna go fishing more i'm gonna. do all those things but if you're. staying in the game. you're always gonna go never being. satisfied.

and that's a terrible saying right but. like always wanting more is better way. and that's how you said it is. is a good thing because you want to push. yourself if you're satisfied and you say. hey this is perfect this is saying we've. we've achieved it. you know like that's the second you. think you made it is a time to be. showing the door. right you know you got to push and do. because you don't want to go back. and you want to keep creating and doing. good things and it keeps you sharp and. it keeps you going. but it's important to celebrate your. successes and what we won't do is we'll. do all these great things with our. business. but we won't stop and say hey let's.

celebrate i mean it's for an hour i feel. like nick saban after after damn. alabama wins again he's like we're. starting recruiting in the morning but. he's a champ and i look like i respect. the heck out of you know but i'm like we. have to celebrate so celebrating success. is i think is important. even it's just one night you know you're. right man somebody told me that the. other day said man sometimes you gotta. look you you. always want to do more for other people. and want to make people feel good. and you don't even look and realize. you're doing that. you know you're doing it and then like. and you have to then it makes she gives. you win your sales right if you can. realize that.

then you'll go do more yeah you know i. thought it was really interesting how. you said where your vision meets your. vision and purpose and how they kind of. can interchange and how. i think it'd be really interesting to. just kind of have that in people's minds. and hearts like. as almost like a a chart or something. where it's like yeah well your vision. and your purpose. because those are two different things. but they're very this they're similar. but they're. one is almost more of a divine and one. is almost more of a will. yeah and i think it's interesting um.

that's well well said if you can tangle. those up almost braid them in a way. yeah i breed them just by i know what my. purpose is. and the vision with the business is. going to get us there right. then setting setting goals right so. where keynes is going to be. 25 in august and they're like how you. want to celebrate i want to do 25. million dollars the communities we do. business in. you turn 50 in february i want to do 50. million dollars back in the business. but setting those personal goals too. then then you get a plan behind it what. can we do with these things right.

so that's that vision strategy the will. other side. the purpose is more divine why are you. here what is your purpose. yeah and ask ourselves that and answer. it honestly to ourselves too you know. yeah i think sometimes it can be scary. even to hear what the answer is you know. it can seem like hard work um but i. think yeah once. it's scary too because you have to when. you lock into something. and you do it you becomes your life work. you know what i mean like i better make. a good decision this is what. it is my purpose because look there's no. backing out of that you know when i make. promises to people.

uh what's your daily routine like todd. and then we'll get you on your way here. oh man it's it's kind of everywhere like. like a is it. sporadic or do you have like are you. like this you know it's a little both so. um we have so being in the details of my. business are so many different. committees we have set up right so i got. i approve every uh location i was. looking at some in nashville earlier. earlier today. um every design of every restaurant. every local cultural graphic that goes. into the restaurants now i have. incredible people in teams. they pull it all together i get to. review maybe make a couple of points on.

things. but then it goes to hr issues called. crew resources i created a. a division called kane's love it's about. appreciating recognizing respecting. rewarding crew members. on and on purchasing supply chain. culinary trying the chicken. i mean you name it it's every part of. the business financials reviews all that. stuff. so we have regular committee meetings. set up because a lot of people come in. and do it i can work my schedule around. that. then it's getting out to the market. seeing my people seeing you personally. do those things. you know are is important they're out. pandemic i mean i didn't stop i went to.

our markets i went and saw our people. they're in our restaurants working so i. need to get out and about a lot of. things too is going to see. um some of these famous kaniaks too. seeing them. appreciate them right so they like to. spend time but then they also they'll go. back and post. you know and like i appreciate that. right they post eden canes things like. that so someone said look i appreciate. that you know 100 million people saw. that or whatever crazy stuff like that. so it's kind of that whole crazy mix you. know i mean catch my son's baseball. games. uh do fun stuff with my daughter and. stuff like that and just kind of.

keep it going i think you know. entrepreneurs have a high energy level. so you're able to do a lot of capacity. uh but that's just kind of how uh how i. roll every week i gotta get my mom asked. me where you going next week i'm like. i don't even think about it yeah yeah. it's yeah it's almost too much sometimes. when you rattle up when you really stack. the future onto today you know it can. get to be a lot. sean any other question that you wanted. to get answered in other videos. okay cool man uh tigers thank you so. much man for coming in today oh one last. question i had. so jimmy john before whenever he was in.

he talked about sometimes how. time went on with work that one of the. things that ended up leading to him. not wanting to sell but one of the. things that wasn't as much joy was that. a lot of there became like a lot of. lawsuits and legal issues the bigger his. company got. is that um do you notice that you have. to spend more time like. the bigger you get the the the more time. you have to spend almost doing. yeah stuff like that not fun stuff yeah. they're not fun stuff. yeah yeah i mean look works work and. sometimes it's the grind but when you.

have. these litigious lawsuits that come. that's not real look like we screw up. always back us but like. setups and these things come in that are. not true. yeah got it spent the time snakes and. you gotta spend your time. and your money and you have to go back. and defend this stuff and you're really. defending your. honor your values and your things and. it's like i have a crew that go we're. not this way we're not this. all the time the bigger you get the. bigger target you are.

the system is set up to go in and do. that and to settle. so it just comes constantly man that's. the stuff that just like it just takes. it out of you and you know what but but. being aj my co-ceo say look. look we have to we have to be we have to. be stronger than them. we're not going to let that hurt the. good things we're doing for people is. and you just got to dig deep and say. if you're coming we're coming right back. at you and we're not an easy target. and you just had this part of the. business unfortunately yeah. no i like the way you that you think.

about handling that though that yeah. it's like. you just have to rise above it you know. you just have to believe in. what your purpose is what your goal is. you know yeah man and then what you're. doing is putting more good out there. than. you know then uh then these other. systems that are kind of set up not. really to. that are just set up for financial gain. really that's right and then you gotta. have a good legal team and. you tell them go right back at them and. do it you know it's like but anyway. unfortunately that's kind of goes with. the territory we can't let it get us. down we're gonna keep doing it we're. gonna keep creating good things for. people look. for me as just anybody in life you know.

whatever you do and we were talking a. lot of entrepreneurship and all this big. stuff and. all this stuff is but whether you're a. teacher whether you're a. welder whether you're whatever you're. doing in life you know. you matter and you matter to people and. you're an example to people like like. you know. my high school coach in my high school. teachers are like some of my biggest. heroes to today. right yeah they influenced me in such a. way and they cared you know to me it. doesn't matter what you do but doing it. and saying let's. bleed the world in a better place you. know everybody thinks that way rather. than get ahead.

and i really think that's what america. is all about i think we are that way you. know. i think we are but people remembering. that and keeping that. whatever you do just do it good for. other people too. hey man lean into the good todd graves. thank you so much for joining us man. and you know this was a blast i had a. great time this is cool yeah thanks for. juicing me your son it was a pleasure to. meet him and uh and i'll make uh i'll. look forward to getting. uh one of the best chicken finger meals. here soon. i might be outside right in front of. your pad here really. okay okay i got the truck out here right.

here for you i wanted to get it hot and. fresh after we got to have a good talk. and. okay let's go have some chicken that. sounds good thanks todd thank you man. now i'm just floating. on the breeze and i feel like these. leaves i must be. cornerstone. [Music]. [Music].

a little time. for me to set that parking brake and let. myself. on my heart shine that light on. me. i'll sit and tell you my stories. [Music].

and now i've been moving way too fast on. the runaway train with a heavy load of. my. [Music]. [Music]. now.