After stints on an oil refinery and in commercial fishing in Alaska to raise funds, Raising Cane’s Founder and CEO Todd Graves was ready to embark on a college dream—a restaurant that only serves chicken fingers.

The first Raising Cane’s, named after Graves’ Labrador, opened in 1996 on Louisiana State University’s campus. Since then, the chain has exploded in popularity, thanks to a steady stream of celebrities and athletes who are known to work shifts at local Raising Cane's. They have included golfer Michael Block, quarterback Bryce Young, singer Cole Swindell, a group of national championship LSU women’s basketball players—and even Ariana Madix of “Vanderpump Rules” fame. 

The chain has roughly 740 locations in the U.S., including one that opened in June in Times Square, with plans to open more this year. Average annual sales per Raising Cane's restaurant more than doubled from 2012 to 2022, hitting $5.44 million last year, according to Technomic data cited by Restaurant Business in a recent report. Meanwhile, the hashtag #raisingcanes has 1.3 billion views on TikTok. On social media, fans, known as “Caniacs,” often beg the brand to open an outpost in their area.

One particular customer got his wish —singer Post Malone, who is also conveniently a friend of Graves’. In April, Raising Cane’s opened a location designed by Malone in Midvale, Utah, near where he lives. The pink restaurant houses a few of Malone’s outfits and guitars, and features a location-exclusive “Posty Way” order of four chicken fingers, fries, two sauces, two toasts, and extra salt and pepper packets, served with a half unsweet tea/half lemonade in a 32-ounce collector’s cup. The partnership seems to have gone well—Raising Cane's customers nationwide can now pay an extra $1.39 for one of four collectible Post Malone cups.