Restaurateur Todd Graves And Celebrity Friends Help Save Family-Owned Restaurants On New discovery+ Series Restaurant Recovery
New Series Available To Stream Exclusively On discovery+
Restaurateur and philanthropist Todd Graves is rolling up his sleeves to help struggling restaurant owners recover from the COVID-19 pandemic in the new series Restaurant Recovery, streaming exclusively on discovery+ with double-episodes available each week.
As founder and CEO of the popular restaurant chain and Greater Glendale Chamber of Commerce member Raising Cane’s ® Chicken Fingers, Graves brings his deep industry knowledge and passion for helping the community and restaurants in need through 10 episodes, with Todd and his team working directly with local owners that are struggling to hang on, by providing creative ideas and hands-on renovations to bring the restaurants back to glory. Along the way, Graves also has some high-profile friends lend a hand, including Nelly and Snoop Dogg, actor Rob Schneider, football’s Archie Manning, Roquan Smith and Michael Thomas, the Rebirth Brass Band, Grammy-Award winning group La Mafia, and basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal.
“Todd Graves is one of the most successful restaurateurs in the country. Having started his business as a young entrepreneur from the ground up, Todd knows about the challenges that exist in making a restaurant work, which is why he is the perfect person to help save these family-owned establishments,” said Courtney White, President, Food Network.
“The pandemic has been devastating to the restaurant industry as a whole, but thankfully, due to our drive-thrus at Raising Cane’s, we were fortunate to maintain our business. As a result, it became so important to me to pay it forward to those in need by offering financial and professional support,” said Graves. “These great family-owned restaurants are important not only to their employees, but also the community and owners who sacrificed so much trying to keep the doors open. Our hope is that by providing a platform to highlight and amplify their awareness, these restaurants will be able to bounce back stronger than before.”
In the premiere, Todd Graves visits Chili John’s in Los Angeles. Open since 1946, Chili John’s was rescued from imminent foreclosure by a retired Coast Guardsman and his wife three years ago. But overnight, COVID-19 knocked out their major sources of income — the employees from nearby studio lots and the film industry that would regularly rent their charming location for movie shoots. With mounting debt and no end in sight for the complete indoor dining ban, Chili John’s is on the brink of collapse. Todd brings in his team, along with the help of friend Snoop Dogg, to help save the business. In the next episode, Todd visits Smokey John’s in Dallas, a restaurant owned and operated by two brothers carrying on their father’s legacy, including keeping all of their employees afloat even when they can barely pay the bills.
Other episodes include Graves returning to his hometown of Baton Rouge with basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal to help Poor Boy Lloyd’s, a legendary seafood spot in Louisiana; and a 107-year-old candy shop and diner in St. Louis struggling to keep the lights on, as Todd recruits rapper Nelly to help boost sales. Other markets featured in the series are Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas, and New Orleans.
To get a look at the new and improved restaurants, along with clips of the special celebrity guests, visit RestaurantRecovery.com and follow along on social media using the hashtag #RestaurantRecovery.
If this story makes you crave Raising Cane’s chicken fingers, visit their location at 1190 S. Colorado Blvd. Follow Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers on Twitter @Raising_Canes or Facebook @RaisingCanes ChickenFingers. You can join the Caniac Club by visiting www.raising canes.com/caniac-club or for more information, visit www.raisingcanes.com. Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is open Sunday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Friday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
