LSU Instructor Told Raising Cane's Todd Graves It Will Never Work

Back when Todd Graves was a student at LSU, his instructor gave him the worst grade in the class after he submitted his business plan for Raising Cane's, being told: "It would never work."

While still a student at LSU, Todd Graves and his original business partner, Craig Silvey, submitted their business plan for a restaurant that sold only chicken fingers.

Graves' instructor at LSU at the time thought so too, reportedly telling Graves and Silvey "It will never work" and giving the two the worst grade in the class according to mashed.com.

Admittedly, a fast food restaurant selling only one thing sounds like a risky business venture.

Obviously, Graves wasn't discouraged one bit. To date, there are 694 Raising Cane's locations throughout the U.S.

Seems like revenge is a meal best served hot with chicken fingers, Cane's Sauce, fries, and Texas Toast.

Raising Cane's wasn't the original name of the now-famous chicken finger restaurant.

Originally, the name was supposed to be Sockeye's Chicken Fingers.

OK, so what's up with "Sockeye"?

According to Mash.com -

"In Graves' own recounts (seemingly), he worked 90-hour weeks as a boilermaker in a refinery, which was followed by a temporary move to Alaska, where he spent 20 hours a day fishing commercially for sockeye salmon."

In addition to working as a commercial fisherman, Graves also worked in the oil field, all to save enough money to open his first chicken finger restaurant outside the gates of LSU on Highland Rd.

Graves was going full speed ahead with the name Sockeye's Chicken Fingers when a friend reportedly made the suggestion he should name the restaurant after his dog.

The name Raising Cane's was born, and in 1996 the first location was opened.