Raising Cane’s is scheduled to open a new, one-of-a-kind restaurant in Boston on Wednesday, but this one isn’t designed by Post Malone.
The new unit in Boston will be made of gold— or at least the color of gold—to celebrate the brand’s 28th birthday.
At this unit, the interior will not just be a little gold. It will be all gold, including the walls, seating, counters and floors. Oh, and the disco balls lining the ceiling.
Raising Cane's is celebrating its 28th anniversary.
Because it’s the chain’s 828th restaurant, and the opening falls on Aug. 28 (8/28), Raising Cane’s has pledged to donate $28 million to local communities in the coming year. Guests can also win a golden ticket to tour Raising Cane’s first restaurant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as well as real gold bars, coins and nuggets (ranging from one to 10 ounces), necklaces, shoes and other swag.
Joining founder Todd Graves at the golden restaurant’s opening party on Wednesday are some glittering celebrities who have gold in common. There’s baseball great“Big Papi” David Ortiz and Jrue Holiday, a Celtics champion, both of whom have won a gold trophy or two. Also joining the party was JVKE, the singer-songwriter known for the hit single “Golden Hour.”
This unit in Boston is among about 100 added this year.
The chicken-finger-focused Raising Cane’s is one of the fastest-growing chains in the U.S. Now operating in 40 states, the company planned to add 100 restaurants this year. The chain ended 2023 with 727 units and more than $3.8 billion in sales, a more-than 20% increase over the prior year, according to data from sister brand Technomic. Raising Cane's boasts an average unit volume of $5.7 million, which among the highest of limited-service concepts.
Graves loves telling the story that he developed the business plan for concept while he was in school, and the project got the lowest grade in the class.
But after working at an oil refinery and on a fishing boat for a few years to raise money, he opened the first unit outside Louisiana State University, naming the restaurant after his yellow lab, Cane.
Now Graves has set sights on reaching 1,600 units and $10 billion in sales by 2030.
UPDATE: This article has been updated with additional information about Raising Cane's and to correct the sports celebrity references.
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