There is a specific kind of magic that exists only at the corner of Hollywood & Highland. It’s where dreams are cemented in stars and the air is thick with the ambition of every person who ever stepped off a bus with nothing but a plan.
For Todd Graves, the Owner and Founder of Raising Cane’s, standing at 6933 Hollywood Blvd on Wednesday (March 18) was a victory lap thirty years in the making. Celebrating the brand’s 1,000th Restaurant opening, the location is a shimmering, two-story tribute to “The American Dream,” complete with a seven-foot golden Cane statue and floor-to-ceiling LEDs.
The glitz of Hollywood is intrinsically tied to the grit of Todd’s past. Long before he was rubbing elbows at The Oscars or overseeing a brand that generated $5.7 billion in sales in 2025, he was “Hollywood” — a nickname given to him by a refinery foreman in El Segundo because he couldn’t stop talking about his dream of a chicken finger empire.
“It’s serendipitous being here today,” Graves told a crowded room of media, where Celeb Secrets was in attendance. “I came here to work grueling shifts as a boiler maker to raise the money banks wouldn’t give me. I wanted to come walk the Hollywood Walk of Fame because I’d seen it since I was a kid. It solidified for me that LA is a place where people come for their dreams.”
While the Hollywood location features a “Menu of Fame” and marquee-inspired entrances that would make everyone who steps foot inside the restaurant swoon, the heart of the brand remains remarkably simple. In an industry obsessed with “menu innovation” and “limited-time offers,” Graves has famously refused to budge from his original vision.
“We’re not trying to be all things for everybody. If you do that, you’re not special to anybody. I believe concentrating on this quality chicken finger meal and keeping it craveable is what keeps us special. I’ve had people tell me for 30 years, ‘You gotta have barbecue sauce, you gotta have variety.’ But our sales are as high as any restaurant in my category. It’s about sticking to your gut,” Graves told Celeb Secrets at the event.
Graves’ journey is a script ready for the silver screen. After receiving a “B-minus” on his business plan in college (the professor told him a chicken-finger-only concept would never work), Graves set out to prove the world wrong. He worked 90-hour weeks in California refineries and dangerous stints commercial fishing in Alaska to fund “The Mothership” — his first location in Baton Rouge.
That hustle has translated into a brand that is now a staple of pop culture. Whether he’s at the Super Bowl with “famous friends” or hitting the red carpet, Graves remains the same “fry cook” at heart — though he did admit to us that he has a few Hollywood favorites he’d love to see at the counter.
“Oh my goodness… I’d have to say Clint Eastwood would be at the top of my list. It would be the best. I’ve never got to meet the man, but yeah, Clint would be the one,” he told us.
When it comes to what’s next, Raising Cane’s isn’t slowing down. With nine more Los Angeles locations planned for 2026 —including high-profile spots at the Santa Monica Third Street Promenade and near SoFi Stadium —the brand is positioning itself for the global stage of the 2026 World Cup.
“LA shaped my journey,” Graves reflected when asked by Celeb Secrets about the city’s impact. “If I didn’t have the opportunities out here to work those long hours and get double-time pay to finance the first Cane’s, I still would have opened it, but it would have taken me a lot longer.”
As the brand approaches its 30th anniversary this August, the 1,000th store stands as a lighthouse for dreamers. From the refinery hard hat he still keeps as a “museum piece” to the 100,000 crew members now sharing his vision, Todd Graves has proven that a “B-minus” idea, when fueled by “One Love,” can change the world — one chicken finger at a time.
Don’t forget to pin 6933 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028 on your maps, as Raising Cane’s newest Hollywood location is set to open real soon. But in the meantime, check out our sneak peek inside the restaurant below!
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For more coverage on Raising Cane’s, click here.
