Viral TikTok: Raising Cane’s CEO Admits He Skips Coleslaw From His Own Go-To Order

Todd Graves, CEO of the popular fast-food chicken chain Raising Cane’s, doesn’t include a vegetable in his personal takeout order — and he’s been totally open about it.

In a TikTok clip posted last month, Graves broke down his standard go-to order from the chain: the signature Box Combo, extra Texas toast, extra Cane’s sauce, and no coleslaw. Speaking during Joe Bonham’s social media series Financial Flex, the top executive admitted he has never been a fan of the chain’s coleslaw, adding with a laugh “that’s exactly why we let customers trade it out for something else.” When asked why the shredded cabbage side was added to the menu in the first place, Graves explained: “When building the original combo, I wanted a vegetable component for the meal, and coleslaw is a classic Southern staple.”

The clip quickly went viral, sparking mixed reactions from customers across TikTok. One viewer asked Graves to swap coleslaw out of the standard Box Combo entirely and replace it with mac and cheese, while dozens of other commenters pleaded with the chain to keep coleslaw as a permanent menu option. For context, the standard Box Combo comes with four breaded chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Cane’s signature sauce, one slice of toast, a side of coleslaw, and a drink. One commenter summed up widespread positive sentiment around the candid moment, writing: “I respect a CEO who can just admit he doesn’t like something from his own restaurant.”

Graves’ unapologetic, unfiltered take on his own chain’s side item comes at a time when fast-food customers are paying closer attention than ever to how top executives present and promote their brands’ food online. Most consumers remember the 2023 viral moment that became known as “burgergate”: McDonald’s CEO and chairman Chris Kempczinski took only a tiny, awkward bite of a Big Arch burger in a promotional clip. Rival fast-food CEOs from Burger King and Wendy’s quickly jumped in to create cringey, forced copycat content mocking the moment, but audiences turned against the brands piling on, leaving the original clip as the unexpected winner of the viral trend.

Amid all the social media banter and mockery between fast-food brands and their leaders, one fact remains clear: the regular customers pulling up to the drive-thru are the ultimate decision-makers when it comes to what stays on menus.