Raising Cane’s isn’t all about chicken, though that is the thing the brand is known for. CEO and founder Todd Graves has used his business to give back to local communities on more than a few occasions. This time, he partnered with CCA Louisiana, a conservation non-profit in the Sportsman’s Paradise, to help install an artificial reef where there had once been a decommissioned oil rig.
Raising Cane’s Sponsors New Hotel Sid Reef
Those in the Louisiana area are familiar with Hotel Sid. Those who fish might also know of this infamous spot. It’s one of the most prominent fishing spots off the coast of Grand Isle, Louisiana.
CCA Louisiana Executive Vice President Rad Trascher said, “Sid Bourgeois, the owner of Lafitte’s, Joe’s Landing in Lafitte, spent a couple days out there during a storm. He crawled up in his boat and floated away during the storm. This was well before cell phones and everything else. And so, all of the surrounding ports took the name and called it Hotel Sid.”
Eventually, the oil rig at this iconic spot became unproductive and was eventually decommissioned. The removal of the rig proved to be harmful to the local wildlife, and thus the installation of the artificial reef began to take shape.
Just one reef costs over $500,000 to install. Raising Cane’s donated $100,000 (a total that was matched by the state. Other partners, Shell included, also got on board with the installation.
Giving Back Is Part of the American Dream
Todd Graves has successfully built a food business, one that’s growing all the time. That, to many, might be the end of the American dream. For Graves and Raising Cane’s, it’s not. It’s just the beginning of all the work they’ve put in.
“I believe all businesses that do well should give back. That’s the American dream. The American dream is being able to start your own business and support your family and employ people and make a great place to work and create an economy. But on top of that, it’s not what you make. It’s what you give, right?” he said.
This is something that matters a lot to Graves. He hopes that his ability to do this with Raising Cane’s inspires other businesses, even those that are a fraction of the size of the chicken chain, to get involved. Whether it’s installing reefs or not, the hope is that the giving back will be contagious.
“I mean, they’ve already built 52 of these artificial reefs, which blows me away. I can’t wait until it’s 104 when that number gets doubled, and hopefully, we’ll do it quicker. The quicker we do it, the better it goes,” the Raising Cane’s CEO said. He has committed to supporting four reefs in addition to the one installed on August 14.
It’s Not Just Fishing
Though Todd Graves is an avid fisherman (and even once considered naming the restaurant after the fish he caught often before landing on Cane), it’s not just fish that matter in this scenario. They stand to gain quite a lot from a new reef like the one we were able to watch get installed in the Gulf of Mexico.
He said, “It’s not just about fishing, it’s about all this marine, there’s countless species that live on these reefs, and those reefs go, those species go away. It’s just a very important thing, especially in this time when we’re pulling up rigs, decommissioning, taking all the structure. Something has to step up.” It looks like that something is Raising Cane’s.
Fishing is a huge attraction, though. And the local fishing scene, already one of the most notable in the area, will thrive as a result of this work. Grand Isle Mayor Dave Camardelle said, “I was born and raised here and come from a fishing family. I remember going fishing with my dad and this gift from Todd will enable future generations to do the same.”
Graves added, “ I mean, I’m a fisherman, and I’ve brought up nieces and nephews, and when my kids were young, bringing out their friends, and [we] still do a father-son here every year, just bringing that, like you said, culture of fishing.” That culture will last a little longer and have a little more success with speckled trout, the fish that will predominantly benefit from the artificial reef.
Final Thoughts
Raising Cane’s, specifically Todd Graves, has a close connection with this area. The first Cane’s restaurant was opened in nearby Baton Rouge. He revealed that he spends a lot of time fishing in the Grand Isle area over the summer. Now, he’s able to use his restaurant’s success to provide relief- relief that will help fish and other wildlife as well as the local economy. The additional benefit might be if other corporations follow suit and begin taking a vested interesting in the environment and the community like Graves and Cane’s have.
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