Staffing

Raising Cane's distributing $2M in crew bonuses

May 11, 2020

Raising Cane's refuses to let the pandemic slow it down, keeping all but a handful of its 500 restaurants open nationwide. Only those without drive-thrus have temporarily closed. In addition, founder & co-CEO Todd Graves has joined co-CEO and COO AJ Kumaran in taking no salary as part of their commitment to not furlough a single crew member, according to a company press release. 

And this week, to show its appreciation for its team's work and sacrifice during the pandemic, Raising Cane's distributed $2 million to crew members systemwide.

"When the crisis began, we created a mantra 'No crew left behind,' and I made a promise that we would all get through this together," Kumaran said, in the release. "Our crew has continued to stay positive while working incredibly hard, and some even reduced their hours in order to keep everyone's job safe. We are extremely grateful for their shared sacrifice and are blessed to have such an amazing crew. Thanks to their hard work, Raising Cane's will come out of this crisis even stronger than before. I couldn't be prouder and more thankful for each and every one of our restaurant leaders and crew members."

The $2 million payout is intended to make up for the hours that each crew member agreed to give up at the beginning of the pandemic, so all crew members could stay employed.

"It's really special to see all of our crew come together, showing solidarity for each other," Graves said, in the release. "Their hard work and dedication to keep our restaurants open and safe, helped ensure our sales would come back strong. Not only are sales strong, but they continue to grow and this is just one way we can make it right for them. Our crew members truly embodied the idea that we're all in this together."

Not only has Raising Cane's managed to keep its restaurants and crew thriving, but the brand is also continuing to expand, with three new locations set to open in Texas this month. In addition, as part of its commitment to the communities it serves, Raising Cane's is in the process of hiring 5,000 crew members this week, to help support existing restaurants, across all of its markets.

"Raising Cane's culture is built on serving our communities  — it's the foundation of who we are and what we believe in," Kumaran said. "Part of that commitment is providing good jobs, and we wouldn't be able to do that without our continued success and growth. It's a testament to our legions of loyal 'Caniacs' and our unrelenting focus on doing what's right for our crew, customers and communities."

The chain is preparing to methodically re-open its dining rooms while operating with the highest standards of food safety, cleanliness and health, according to the release. In the meantime, customers may still use the drive-thru windows.

Founded by Graves in 1996, Raising Cane's has more than 500 restaurants in 28 states, as well as Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with multiple new restaurants under construction.