Raising Cane’s turned 28 officially on August 28th, 2024. 28 years prior to the day, co-founder Todd Graves opened his first restaurant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The restaurant would quickly expand, eventually reaching Boston, Massachusetts. That’s where he chose to celebrate the golden birthday and invited Boston Celtics and Team USA superstar Jrue Holiday, Boston Red Sox legend and MLB Hall of Famer David Ortiz, and award-winning singer-songwriter JVKE.
Raising Cane’s Marks Major Milestone
A golden birthday only happens once, and it requires some luck and longevity in the business world. Todd Graves’ first Raising Cane’s was opened on August 28th, 1996, which meant that Graves would have to be successful and last for 28 years to even think about celebrating that event.
Celebrate might be underselling it. The fifth Raising Cane’s in the Boston area was put together in style, with gold everywhere to be found. It’s a color that both David Ortiz and Jrue Holiday know well. Holiday is coming off an incredible summer in which he and the Boston Celtics brought home a gold trophy (the 18th in Celtics history) and won a gold medal in the Paris Olympics. Ortiz won three gold trophies in the World Series during his career as well.
They also know about the longevity that Graves has had to have so far. Ortiz played in the MLB for 20 seasons (14 of them with Boston). Holiday will enter his 16th in the NBA and his second with the Celtics when the NBA season kicks off in a few months.
Ortiz said that discipline is key to lasting long in the sports world. If a player has no discipline, they can kiss longevity goodbye. The former Red Sox legend added, “If you’ve got discipline, you get longevity the whole time. (17:29) Discipline tells you what to do to keep your body right. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to stay ready, stay focused. Organize yourself. Have a way around things.”
How Raising Cane’s Works With Athletes
Two superstar athletes came out to celebrate a chicken chain restaurant’s birthday. David Ortiz isn’t actively playing, but he still has other things to do (namely a job with FOX working MLB games alongside, ironically, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter). Jrue Holiday just finished an NBA season and an Olympic run, with NBA training camp right around the corner.
The ability to get people of that caliber involved is something important for Graves. He praised the two players for their accolades and awards before saying, “It adds some star power to the specialness of opening this restaurant here in Boston. So for me, it’s about having that star power. That’s the part that everybody’s – they’re Cane’s fans, you know, and that’s the best part, and them coming out and representing us. This adds a little extra kick to everything.”
On the other side, the relationship with food is something important to athletes. Naturally, with how many calories they burn and the physiques they often try to get into, food plays a big role. Both Holiday and Ortiz are fans of the restaurant and were adorned in Cane’s gear for the golden birthday.
Holiday said he’s very familiar with Cane’s since he first began his NBA career in New Orleans, the place Raising Cane’s calls home. “You have to be able to go out there and perform,” the Celtics star said. “On any given night, I was in New Orleans for seven years. [Raising Cane’s] was a big part of my diet. Honestly, it’s delicious food. I think that it does help with recovery. Like I said, it helps with performance.”
Jrue Holiday Opens Up on Olympic Run
That performance, whether boosted by Cane’s and their special sauce or not, was key this summer. Jrue Holiday played an important role in getting Team USA the gold medal. His defense was almost invaluable alongside offensive superstars like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. Holiday’s name might not often be thrown around in conversation with those two and LeBron James, but he started and played big minutes a lot for Steve Kerr’s unit.
Holiday said, “I think Devin Booker, the way that he played, kind of how you play off each other with him was pretty easy. I think Steph Curry is just one of the best players in the world, so to be able to go out there and be his teammate for the first time ever was amazing… Played with some legends and against some legends.”
The point guard added that just being there was a huge learning experience. Holiday is, as mentioned, a longtime NBA veteran, but he learned from watching Curry, James, Durant, and others. He said he saw first-hand what makes them great and why they’re legends, as he called them.
Unsurprisingly, he said that Anthony Edwards was the biggest trash-talker on the team. Holiday said that Edwards was very talented and young, but that his trash talk particularly stood out even on a roster full of players who like to talk.
He acknowledged that it was an interesting experience playing against France in the gold medal match, saying it felt like it was Team USA vs. the world. As great as that was, it paled in comparison to winning an NBA championship in Boston, a city known for its sports and the championships they’ve won.
I’m not sure anything tops that, to be able to win here in Boston. Game 5, the crowd, the shot-taking,” he said. “It was just all so overwhelming. That was amazing. And then the parade was crazy, too.” Neither the gold medal or his championship ring was his first, but this ring is one he’ll remember forever because of where it was won.
David Ortiz Hypes up Boston Fans
That’s a sentiment shared by David Ortiz. The Red Sox icon won three championships with the team, including a curse-breaking, improbable title in 2004. There was also a victory in 2013 following the Boston bombing that Ortiz recalls well.
All of the winning in Boston was something the former DH will never forget, and it’s all because of one factor. He said, “The people around here, the citizens, are so involved in everything as an entertainer that we do. You guys, to me, are the greatest. I always say this when I go back home. I’m so glad that I played in Boston because the fans in Boston got the best out of me.”
Ortiz lauded fans for showing up in any situation and pushing him to be the best he could possibly be. He said the fans’ treatment of him, Holiday, JVKE, and others in the Boston area is what drives him to continue working to give them the best of himself. He believes that’s true for most Boston athletes.
“If you go to the Celtics, you go to the Patriots, you go to the Red Sox, you go to the Bruins. Any sport Even when you go to college, a sport of that level,” Ortiz went on. “You can see how every single athlete is just trying their best. Because they know who they play for. This is one of the greatest towns when it comes down to it.”
It resulted in three rings, so Ortiz is very familiar with gold. It’s a color that now marks one of the most iconic (and the newest) Raising Cane’s. Ortiz said, “Man, look at me. Gold is my thing. You know what I’m saying? Can’t do it no better than that.”
Ortiz said there are only a couple of cities in the world that can compare to sports in Boston: New York and Los Angeles. LA is where Holiday grew up, and he was, unsurprisingly, a Los Angeles Lakers fan growing up. The irony of him winning a championship with the Celtics was not lost on the player.
He said that wearing the green, the color he hated as a fan growing up watching basketball, was “a bit weird” the first time he did it. Of course, he adjusted and became a huge contributor to the most dominant NBA team from the 2023-2024 season that ended up winning the championship.
Jrue Holiday Talks Repeat Chances
The Boston Celtics are uniquely set up to be a true contender again. After winning it all, they are returning the vast majority of players to the team, including Jrue Holiday. The point guard signed an extension and will be part of the core that includes Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum for a long time.
Holiday admitted that it is always hard to win a championship, but to go back-to-back is even harder. The Celtics have some continuity that allows them to have a leg up on the competition when it comes to the next NBA Finals. Holiday added that they can come into the next season “locked in” with everyone already on the same page.
For what it’s worth, David Ortiz certainly believes in the Celtics’ repeat chances. And he has a bold pick for NBA MVP, too, “Next season, of course, there’s nothing but a repeat… And I’m going to go for my boy [Holiday] right here.”
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