Luke Bryan received a $1 million charitable gift for his Brett Boyer Foundation from Raising Cane’s owner and founder Todd Graves.
On a day off from filming the 23rd season of ABC TV show American Idol, country music chart-topper Luke Bryan stopped at the new Raising Cane’s restaurant in Franklin. The reason had everything and nothing to do with chicken tenders and dipping sauce.
On Tuesday morning, Bryan appeared alongside Raising Cane’s owner and founder Todd Graves to celebrate a $1 million donation from Raising Cane’s to the Brett Boyer Foundation. Bryan and his family founded the Brett Boyer Foundation in 2017 to fund congenital heart defect research and provide resources to families with children who have CHD or Down Syndrome.
During his visit, Bryan “worked a shift” as a cashier at the front counter and drive-thru, serving customers under Graves’ guidance.
What is The Brett Boyer Foundation?
Alongside his wife Caroline and her brother and sister-in-law Ellen and Bo, the “Country On” vocalist started the Brett Boyer Foundation to honor the memory of Ellen and Bo’s first child Sadie Brett Boyer. She was diagnosed prenatally with Down Syndrome and a congenital heart defect, which she battled for her seven months of life.
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Congenital heart disease is the most common congenital disability, according to the World Health Organization, affecting approximately 1 in 100 babies born worldwide. The disorder encompasses all types of heart conditions or disorders present at birth. The term is often used interchangeably with congenital heart defect, which refers specifically to a structural abnormality of the heart that is present at birth and needs medical or surgical intervention.
Graves’ donation, which will be paid out over four years, comes after befriending Bryan and learning about the mission and story behind the foundation.
“God made me good at chicken to help people,” Graves said, in a press conference held at the event, which doubled as a moment for the two to film commercials advertising the partnership between Raising Cane’s and the Brett Boyer Foundation.
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“It’s a blessing that (Raising Cane’s has advanced) far enough as a company where we’ve gone from worrying about making payroll to being able to give back to the community (at large),” Graves said.
Raising Cane’s commercial growth, national expansion
Two years ago, Todd Graves’ successful, three-decade-old Raising Cane’s chain arrived in the Nashville area on White Bridge Road. In 2024, the Lower Broadway flagship location followed, and now there are five area locations.
“We’ve gone from me raising money as a commercial fisherman in Alaska to (achieving my dream) of opening a cool place where college kids could come and hang out near Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge,” Graves said. “Since then, I’ve manifested this chain of restaurants from humble beginnings and the universe made it happen.”
Outside Nashville, Raising Cane’s also operates in Knoxville and has nearly 800 locations in 36 states, the Middle East and Guam. Texas is home to one-quarter of the chain’s eateries.
“Todd has spent time to learn how to carefully leave (Raising Cane’s) footprint in Nashville’s community,” Bryan said. “The consumers in this community are (positively responding) to what he and the company have to offer.”
Raising Cane expanded the number of restaurants they opened by 20% in 2024. Restaurant Business Magazine also noted that for the first half of 2024, Raising Cane’s same-store sales increased 17.5%, which boosted revenues by 33% year-over-year to $2.3 billion.
Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. She can be reached at [email protected]. To support her work, subscribe to The Tennessean.
Marcus K. Dowling is The Tennessean’s Nashville Country Music Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].
