Raising Cane’s first started serving its chicken fingers in 1996, back when CEO and founder Todd Graves, along with long-time business partner Craig Silvey, pursued what he thought was a feasible business plan despite recurring financial obstacles, and opened the American fast-food chain’s first branch in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Today, with over 600 locations, and a marked presence in the Middle East, growing steadily in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the restaurant still manages to make its chicken fingers’ concept work in an increasingly competitive market.
We sat down with Todd Graves, who was taking a break from celebrating yet another outlet in Saudi Arabia, to talk about his menu’s concept, its success in the region, expansion plans, and the biggest challenge for American brands entering the Middle East market.
The Middle East market for fast-casual food chains is growing, why is now the right time for Raising Cane’s to expand within the region?
From a personal stand point, I like the Middle East, the people and the culture. The people here are friendly and thoughtful. I also like the food and the progressive thought; and when I got into the business side of things, I noticed how business-friendly it is. It presented a clear opportunity for us to come and do business.
It’s also open to other concepts; the people here like to try new things. And putting these things together, bringing our concept just made a lot of sense. We have been using the same menu for almost 27 years. And I knew that the region would accept it as it is, without needing to regionalise it. People love it and is an all-time favorite!
What is the ‘Raising Cane’s’ difference that your restaurant will bring local customers?
It’s this focused chicken finger meal that took us two years to source the high quality ingredients for because we wanted the exact same taste from my hometown. We’re bringing this ‘craveable’ chicken finger meal through focused-to-the-detail work that makes it the best tasting.
Our chicken is the perfect chicken tenderloin, brined, marinated for 24 hours, and hand-battered and breaded in a cook-to-order process, like you would do at a fine dining restaurant. Not to mention our special sauce, which is put together by the highest ingredients. We’ve even brought our special-blend tea that’s sourced from three different countries around the world. These are the things you’ll have at Cane’s. Served fast and conveniently because we only offer that one product.
In an increasingly competitive market, including home-grown brands, what is the attraction for American chain concepts to launch in the Middle East?
We do so well in the region because people know if you want our chicken fingers, then you come to us. There are so many restaurants that have a lot of menu items. But we specialise in just one, and we’re the best at it, which is why we know we can compete.
What are the expansion plans for Raising Cane’s in the Middle East? How many outlets and where?
(This answer was provided by AJ Kumaran, Co-CEO and COO of Raising Cane’s)
Currently, we have 33 outlets in the region, and almost half of them are in Saudi Arabia. We see ourselves reaching 50 stores by the end of 2024. Around 10 of the planned stores will be in Saudi Arabia, across its capital, and other major cities like Jeddah and Khobar. We’re also opening some flagship locations across Dubai, four of them are back-to-back.
One on Jumeirah Beach Road, one in Jumeirah Beach Residence, and one on Sheikh Zayed Road. We’re also looking at other parts in the Middle East, and the greater gulf. That’s our regional expansion plan. So we’re very excited about the market; the population and the growth are there.
What are the challenges faced when launching and growing an American brand in the Middle East?
The business environment in the region is exceptional, it’s literally welcoming. But the biggest challenge for us was the supply chain, specifically for our food’s flavour. We had to work with different suppliers to remake our taste here, a process that took longer than it normally would have, but we were so fixed on getting it right.
Your story is one of resilience. What kept you going?
I see it as my purpose. First off, it started as a dream. I had this goal to open one restaurant, and nothing was going to stop me from doing that. I was never going to quit or give up. But after opening that first restaurant, I started to understand that it was about more than that. It was about leadership, and giving people an opportunity – most people’s first jobs are in a restaurant – where they can learn values and grow; it’s about giving back to the community, it’s what keeps me going through our growth.
Todd ended the interview by expressing his optimism for the future of his brand, and how proud he was of his employees, many of which are Saudi nationals, working entry-level positions as well as managerial.
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