30seconds with Todd Graves

Raising Cane’s founder and CEO Todd Graves rolled his eyes when he heard some Fox network producers wanted to feature him and his wife Gwen on a reality show.

But once he found out the mission—to feature community-minded millionaires helping people truly in need in a way that might inspire others to do the same—he couldn’t say no.

More than 10 million viewers watched the Graveses dole out $400,000 in cash and donations to some good-hearted and hard-working people in southern Plaquemines Parish still floundering from Hurricane Katrina.

Was it hard to keep the details a secret before the show aired?

We had to. We signed a contract that made us liable for up to $5 million [for spilling any crucial details]. The show’s success hinged on not revealing who would receive the money until the end.

What about the people you didn’t choose to donate money to?

We’ve set up a foundation through the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, which is helping everyone else and the entire community there, really. Also, Matt Saurage and Community Coffee got involved as well and donated a coffee kiosk and equipment for The Gathering Place (a new coffee shop being built by a family the Graveses helped).

Did your donations go to individuals?

Coach [Cyril] Crutchfield [of South Plaquemines High School] received $50,000 to start his house. He is so driven to help the athletes and students, he would live in that [FEMA] trailer forever, so we thought the money could be a catalyst for him to do something for himself. He also spent $50,000 on students and athletes through his foundation. For the others, we set up funds so that it wasn’t a taxable event (which would have meant a whopping income tax bill).

What didn’t viewers get to see?

When we told each person that we had been lying all week, the producers told us to tell them we were lying and then pause for a long time (to enhance the sense of drama). That was very difficult for us because we spent a lot of time with them and we admired them, so it was hard to tell them we’d been lying. But the producers said they would appreciate it all in the end, and they did.

Visit raisingcanes.com to donate to the Cane’s South Plaquemines relief fund or contact Rev. Turner about volunteering.