Yet the concept, which eventually became Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, propelled Graves to his debut Tuesday on the Forbes 400, a ranking of America's richest people.
He's reportedly the country's 107th-richest person, with an estimated net worth of $9.5 billion, largely driven by his ownership stake in Raising Cane's.
Graves owns more than 90 percent of the company, and has no plans to take it public or sell his stake to private investors, he said.
"I want my kids in the business to be able to carry our values on after their mom and I are gone," said Graves.
"They can turn this into a worldwide business and continue to grow."
Persons:
Todd Graves, Craig Silvey, Graves, He's, Cane's —, Cane —
Organizations:
LSU, Forbes, Nicholls State University, Small Business Administration, CNBC
Locations:
Louisiana, Cane's, California, Baton Rouge , Louisiana, Alaska —