Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves will appear as a guest star on season 16 of ABC’s Shark Tank television show.
If you haven’t seen the show, it gives small company entrepreneurs the opportunity to bring their business ideas to five venture capitalists, who invest in start-up companies, called "Sharks." The Sharks then decide whether to invest in the companies or opt out. Graves will guest star as one of the Sharks in the new season.
If Graves makes a deal with a new entrepreneur on the show, they will have access to Raising Cane’s resources, as well as Graves’ other marketing teams, to help launch their business.
“As a long-time viewer and fan of the show, I’m excited to bring my restaurant and business experience to entrepreneurs and help guide them as they build their brands,” stated Graves.
Graves was invited on the show because of his entrepreneurial mindset. He opened the first Raising Cane’s restaurant 28 years ago, known as “The Mothership.” Now, the chicken tender chain is expected to gross over $10 billion by 2030 with more than 1,600 locations, according to media outlet QSR. Currently, the chain has more than 830 Restaurants across the U.S.
Graves continued: “I remember how it felt when I was first starting out with Raising Cane’s and not many believed in me or my vision, and I wish I had a Shark to give me advice and guidance. I want to be that person and change the narrative for these entrepreneurs by helping them achieve the American Dream, just like I have.”
Raising Cane's has used celebrities to garner attention for the restaurant chain in the past, but this is the first time the company's founder will be the celebrity.
Viewers can see the new season soon, which will launch on Friday, October 18 on ABC and will be available for streaming on Hulu.
I personally am a fan of the reality show and was planning to tune in to the new season anyway. It’s always heart-warming to see other’s hard work paying off when they make a deal with one of the multimillionaires. Now that I know that Graves will be a guest star, I'll make sure that I tune in. If there was a Raising Cane’s close to me, I’d have that for dinner while I watched.
