Koe Wetzel is widely known for his hard-hitting tunes and rowdy stage presence, however this week, he swapped out his usual gig for something a bit more corporate. The country-rocker clocked in as a crew member for the day at Raising Cane’s Dallas-area Restaurant Support Office, getting a crash course on the fast-paced world of chicken fingers and customer service from his good friend and Raising Cane’s founder, Todd Graves.
Throughout the day, the pair filmed content around the office, testing out their acting skills with some hilarious skits that highlighted the day-to-day duties of a Cane’s crew member.
Raising Cane’s is one of the fastest-growing Restaurant brands, with 900+ Restaurants in 40+ states, and plans to open more than 100 new Restaurants across several new markets in 2025. Since opening its doors, Todd Graves has often teamed up with artists, athletes and other celebrities as a way to establish wide-spread marketing for his company while also creating meaningful partnerships with a shared passion for giving back.
Wetzel’s connection to Raising Cane’s—and to Graves—runs deeper than your average brand partnership. Since their first meeting about three years ago, the pair have developed a genuine friendship built on a mutual love for music, the outdoors, and a good time. Graves and Wetzel have racked up some great memories over the years, from annual trips to sharing a suite for Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium, and more.
The “Damn Near Normal” singer also previously worked a “shift” at the Raising Cane’s food truck with Graves, during which he performed his song “February 28, 2016” and swapped out the lyrics from “Taco Bell” to “Raising Cane’s.”
“We have the same love for the outdoors and stuff like that and just a lot of common interests,” Wetzel told Country Now and other outlets. “I think getting out there and just having a good time is kind our main focus whenever we’re together. And he has been a big help and he does so much for so many people. He is just a great dude and it’s cool to be his friend and hell, we get along pretty damn good…I’m very happy to be a part of the Raising Cane’s family.”
“I’ve always been a big fan of Koe’s music and love that he hasn’t changed his style over the years. He continues to do it his way and is highly respected in the country music community and throughout Nashville by artists of all sizes,” Graves added. “Koe and I first got together when I invited him to the Cane’s suite for Super Bowl LVI at SoFi and we had a great time. He’s a genuine person who has determination, passion and a vision for his music, and that’s one of the things I love most about him. I get inspired by people who are out there doing things and chasing their dreams and Koe and I have that in common and so much more.”
One of their stand-out memories was made during their annual trip to Montana, when Wetzel had a unique request for Graves. He asked the Cane’s founder to give him a chicken finger tattoo on his thigh. After carefully completing the one-of-a-kind design, that Wetzel joked looks like the state of Kentucky, graves added his signature touch with the initials “TG.”
“I always receive crazy gifts when I’m on tour, and on this tour in particular they gave me a tattoo gun. Todd and I had a fun night and thought it would be a good idea for him to give me a tattoo of a Chicken Finger,” said Wetzel. “It turned out looking more like the state of Kentucky – I sure hope his tattoo skills have gotten better!”
“We were in Montana for one of Koe’s shows and ended up being on a two-hour delay due to lightening. We had some drinks, and Koe wanted me to put a tattoo of a Chicken Finger on his leg with ‘TG’ under it,” Graves said, sharing his side of the story. “I’d never given anyone a tattoo, but proceeded to give Koe one and I think I pressed a little too hard, because I went to put more ‘crust’ on it and Koe said, ‘No more!’”
At the end of the day, Wetzel and Graves both have a strong work ethic for their individual passions and found a way to turn their dreams into reality, even if it took overcoming a few obstacles to get there. Based off their experiences and wisdom learned over the years, their pair each offered a some words of advice to any fellow dreamers out there.
“Todd and I have always stayed true to ourselves. All we know is what we love and what we do. We both have dreams and goals and we’ve talked about that; but it’s not about being the best or number one, it’s about taking care of friends and family, keeping your head down and being a good person,” said Wetzel. “My advice to anyone chasing a dream is to be true to yourself, always remember where you came from, and be good to people.”
“Koe and I focus on what we’re good at and do exactly that. I always tell people who are chasing a dream, ‘Imagine how hard it is and multiply that by infinity.’ Koe making it in the music world is just as hard, if not harder, than building a Chicken Finger business. We both started small, stayed focused, and then grew across the country and beyond,” said Graves. “Everyone tells you why it won’t work and why you won’t be successful, but if you believe in yourself, you’ll make it.”
While Koe Wetzel gave it his best shot at the different jobs he was tasked with at the establishment, it’s safe to say he won’t be trading his artist career for a 9-to-5 job anytime soon. However, if he were to, he revealed the first thing he would do is change the iconic menu item, Caniac Combo, to the Koeniac Combo for February 28, coinciding with his fan-favorite tune.
The post Koe Wetzel Gets A Taste Of The 9-To-5 Life At Raising Cane’s With Founder Todd Graves appeared first on Country Now.
