Operations

Raising Cane's CEO launches TV docuseries to help struggling restaurants

The show will feature 20 restaurants facing pandemic-related issues in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Miami, Baton Rouge, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, St. Louis and Atlanta.

Provided

July 28, 2020

Todd Graves, the founder and CEO of Raising Cane's, can now add TV host to his resume. Along with producers Kapil Mahendra and Paul Beahan of Calabasas Films & Media, Graves has created the docuseries "Restaurant Recovery," where he'll visit restaurants that have closed or are on the verge of closing due to COVID-19, according to a company press release.

"I don't just want to help these restauranteurs come back, I want them to come back stronger," said Graves, who has committed $100,000 in the relief and recovery to each of the 20 brands featured in his show. "So when the next pandemic, tornado, hurricane or any disaster strikes, they will be ready and equipped to weather the storm."

Shooting for "Restaurant Recovery" starts in August and continues for the rest of the year as cities re-open and guidelines are instituted for safe filming and dining activities. The initial schedule includes potential filming in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Miami, Baton Rouge, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, St Louis, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Denver, Atlanta and more cities based on applications received, according to the release.

Viewers shouldn't be surprised to see prominent celebrities and personalities making appearances in some episodes in a show of support for their hometown, and series executive producers are Doug Weitzbuch ('World of Dance") and Adam Saltzberg ("Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.")

Approaching its 25th year in business, Raising Cane's has grown from a single restaurant outside the North Gates of Louisiana State University to more than 500 restaurants in 28 US states, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. It reported more than $1 billion in the U.S. with annual revenue exceeding $1.5 billion. Although Graves is successful, he understands how hard it is to keep a restaurant going and to bring it back after a crisis. His business has survived Hurricane Katrina as well as the pandemic.

"I want to help people that knew how to be successful in their own business but now need help to overcome these extraordinary circumstances we're facing," Graves said in the release. "I know the challenges of keeping a small business going and I want to help these great independent restaurants that have so much soul and really make a community special. These restauranteurs care about their employees and community, and that means a lot to me, and should mean a lot to all of us. In 'Restaurant Recovery,' you'll see an iconic family restaurant that has been around for decades in one episode, and on others it may be a local bakery that is a community's gathering spot, or a new restaurant that has been the owner's dream for decades who fell victim to horrible timing upon opening."

Mahendra said he hopes that the stories will inspire a wave of generosity and support for the great number of restaurants struggling through these times.

"Working with Todd on this series, it feels like he's helping family members, and that's what will make the series such compelling television — the sincerity, spirit, and energy he brings," he said in the release.