Todd Graves built Raising Cane's into a nearly 1,000-restaurant empire by rejecting franchising, limiting his menu to one craveable item, and prioritizing crew culture over private equity returns. His unconventional approach to scaling—staying 100% company-operated, refusing menu expansion, and treating employees as family—challenges conventional restaurant wisdom while delivering billions in value. Todd rejected a professor's feedback that his business plan was flawed by using it as motivation, demonstrating how negative feedback can fuel entrepreneurial resolve rather than derail it.