Riverside Buzz: “Caniacs” Unite in Riverside

On October 31^st, 2017, Raising Cane’s officially opened in Riverside. According to Press Enterprise[1], fans and first-time customers waited over 24 hours in advance outside the building that now keeps Magnolia Avenue busy with hungry residents. Why is this chicken finger restaurant the new hype of Riverside? Here is the Founder, Todd Grove’s story[2]:

“I got the worst grade on my business plan for a college class. The professor said a chicken finger restaurant would never work. The banks said the same. I took a job as a boilermaker working 90 hour weeks in the L.A. refinery to raise my own money. Then I fished commercially for Sockeye Salmon in Alaska, working 20 hour days in the dangerous conditions. When I returned, I had the money I earned, and was able to get a SBA loan. Just enough to start the first restaurant. The first Raising Cane’s®, “The Mothership”, was an old building I renovated myself with help at the entrance of LSU. During the renovation, we found an old mural on the original brick wall that inspired the design of our Raising Cane’s® logo. The first Raising Cane’s® opened in 1996. We were so busy, we stayed open ‘til 3:30 a.m. It was great to work with such a fun, dedicated crew! Thank you to everyone who believed in the vision of Raising Cane’s® – to make the highest quality chicken finger meals anywhere.”

Raising Cane’s food menu consists merely of chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, coleslaw, and a chicken finger sandwich. This food chain truly does stick to their moto of ONE LOVE- quality chicken finger meals. As stated by Groves in the Press Enterprise, “You go to the people who are good at what they do,” and now the city residents of Riverside go to Raising Cane’s for quality chicken meals.

To further encourage business leaders, entrepreneurs, and students, here are 10 rules to build a wildly successful business that were shared by Forbes and written by life-long entrepreneur, Eric T. Wagner[3]:

Build something you believe in — because that’s the first step to building a great brand.
Don’t aim for 10% improvement. Make it radically better and different.
Prepare to be copied. Don’t start unless you’ll survive imitation.
Build up reserves of money and energy for bad luck and mistakes.
Never, ever give up control — until you sell.
Don’t compromise on the big things — compromise on everything else.
Figure out how to achieve your goals on a tiny budget — then cut that number in half.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Take care of your family, personal and spiritual health — if you aren’t laughing or smiling on a regular basis, recalibrate.
Build the enterprise and the brand as if you’ll own them forever.

In essence, we are enlightened by the history of Raising Cane’s and the determination and drive that is evident in its Founder. Additionally, at the CBU Jabs School of Business, we deeply value the unique role we play in the lives of students, alumni, and our communities and are looking forward to seeing the many businesses they will have of their own in the near future.

Until then, stay hungry Riverside.

P.S. Raising Cane’s was named after the Founder’s dog, Raising Cane I[4]. Yes, there is a Raising Cane II.

Your fellow foodie,