The Raising Cane's Side Dish Founder Todd Graves Refuses To Eat

Considering the rampant backlash launched at the McDonald's CEO who looked like he didn't want to swallow the chain's food, it's no surprise other fast-food founders and executives are trying to be a bit clearer about their preferences — even if it reflects poorly on one of their menu items. This mentality is one Raising Cane's founder, Todd Graves, proved to be a believer in, as he outright said he isn't a fan of coleslaw and prefers to swap it out with a different side whenever possible.

Graves revealed this opinion in an Instagram interview with Joe Bonham when asked about his go-to Raising Cane's order. His answer — a Box Combo, no coleslaw, extra toast, and extra sauce — immediately led to questions about the coleslaw. Graves was upfront and honest about his disinterest in the side. "I don't like coleslaw, man," the founder admitted, "that's why you can trade it out!"

The founder and CEO of Raising Cane's take is far from an uncommon one; Cane's fans online are notoriously low on the restaurant's coleslaw and even we ranked it as one of the worst fast-food coleslaws on the market. Graves acknowledged, "Every once in a while, I get somebody that likes it, but I'm not crazy about coleslaw, so trade it out for toast."

So, if Raising Cane's own founder isn't fond of coleslaw, what got it on the menu in the first place? Well, it comes down to two key reasons. For starters, Todd Graves noted the restaurant needed a vegetable-based item to go alongside the chicken, toast, and french fries to make it possible for customers to enjoy a more balanced meal. The company picked coleslaw based on the chain's southern roots, because Raising Cane's was founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, back in 1996. Coleslaw was a staple at restaurants and homes in the surrounding area and deemed the perfect side dish for the chain to provide.

As for why it's still on the menu, enduring the 30 years the chain has been open comes down to Raising Cane's refusal to add or remove any item on its menu. In a 2021 exclusive interview with Mashed, Graves called the prospect of adding more food options to the national menu "blasphemous" and shut down the idea entirely due to his belief that consistency is the true beauty of Raising Cane's. Thus, fan favorites like Raising Cane's secret menu naked chicken tenders will remain off the menu, and lesser-enjoyed items like coleslaw are clearly here to stay.

Static Media owns and operates The Takeout and Mashed.