Baton Rouge, La. — While the majority of its 500 restaurants are open and serving customers through its drive-thrus, Raising Cane’s dine-in only restaurant has shifted operations to make masks instead of its signature chicken fingers.
Raising Cane’s crew members have begun sewing three-ply cloth masks to ease the shortage at local hospitals, donating more than 600 masks after the first week of production. As crew members get more proficient, the numbers are expected to grow significantly in coming weeks.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of our crew members for stepping up and supporting our community in such a meaningful way,” says Todd Graves, Raising Cane’s founder and CEO. “When our crew came up with the idea, I was immediately on board.”
Teams of crew members are being paid to produce the masks, many of whom had never sewn before this initiative began. The two teams work in block schedule shifts in adherence with the company’s social distancing procedures.
“We have not furloughed any Raising Cane’s crew member,” Graves says. “Of our 500 restaurants, we have a handful that are closed because they don’t have a drive-thru. We may not be able to serve chicken fingers at these locations, however, our crew members are finding new ways to serve their communities.”
Founded by Todd Graves in 1996 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers has more than 500 restaurants in 27 states; Bahrain, Kuwait; Saudi Arabia; and the United Arab Emirates with multiple new restaurants under construction.