Three years ago, Raising Cane’s founder and CEO Todd Graves took on the nation’s capital and became royalty when he was crowned king of D.C. Mardi Gras. Now, Graves is getting down and dirty to help struggling restaurants in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in his new TV series Restaurant Recovery. Local viewers will want to tune in tonight, April 29, on the discovery+ streaming service for an episode set right here in Baton Rouge.

More than familiar with the industry, Graves knows the challenges of starting a restaurant. Since opening the very first Raising Cane’s at the North Gates of LSU, Graves has grown his chain to more than 550 locations across the U.S. while overcoming disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the more recent COVID-19 pandemic. And just as difficult as opening and running a restaurant is recovering after a crisis.

“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,” says Graves. “As a result, it became so important to me to pay it forward to those in need by offering financial and professional support.”

Restaurant Recovery‘s first episode aired Thursday, April 15, and will continue each week with double episodes available on discovery+. In each episode, Graves brings his industry knowledge and philanthropic spirit to local restaurants across the country to offer creative solutions, hands-on renovations and financial support.

Along the way, Graves brings in a few celebrity friends to help out, including Nelly, Snoop Dogg and Archie Manning. Tonight’s episode takes Graves back to Baton Rouge to revive the famous downtown seafood spot Poor Boy Lloyd’s, with a special appearance from former LSU basketball great Shaquille O’Neal.

The series kicked off in Los Angeles at Chili John’s before heading to Smokey John’s in Dallas. Throughout the series, Graves also visits St. Louis, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas and New Orleans.

“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,” says Graves. “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.”

Check out “Restaurant Recovery” on the discovery+ streaming service. For more info and to see the trailer, click here.