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Top 100: Raising Cane's No. 11

June 28, 2012

Raising Cane’s

Baton Rouge / No. of units: 123

As a college student, Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves received the worst grade in class on his business plan for a chicken fingers restaurant. His professor told him that a concept based on that one item alone would never work. Banks weren’t impressed, either. Unable to get a loan, Todd worked unimaginable hours at dangerous jobs to raise money. The SBA was sufficiently impressed to loan him barely enough to turn his B- business plan into a reality in 1996. Today Raising Canes operates 123 restaurants in 16 states and still sells just one entrée — chicken fingers.