An all-company meeting at the Raising Cane’s corporate office in Dallas took an exciting turn yesterday when Raising Cane’s Co-CEO and COO AJ Kumaran surprised the company’s top general managers with trips to Hawaii for their families.

The 10 general managers were flown to the Dallas office under the premise of an in-person ‘feedback session,’ ahead of an all-company meeting later in the day. Much to their surprise, during the all-company meeting, they were brought on stage by Kumaran, and surprised with the award and trip.

“I am so proud to have surprised our top 10 operators with this highly competitive award and the trip of a lifetime for them and their families to Hawaii,” says Kumaran. “These managers represent the best in the business, and they continue to raise the bar on leadership at Raising Cane’s and the entire QSR industry. It is a privilege to be able thank them for all their hard work.” 

Raising Cane’s has a long-standing tradition of recognizing and rewarding its Crewmembers, including its general managers. The award for “Big Kahuna” is given every year to the company’s top general manager. This year, given the strong results of the company and its Crewmembers, Raising Cane’s selected not one but 10 “Big Kahuna” winners, and awarded all of them with all-expense paid trips to Hawaii.

The 10 operators were selected to win the “Big Kahuna” award due to their industry-leading customer service, crewmember satisfaction, operational excellence, and financial performance metrics. As Raising Cane’s continues to be one of the fastest growing companies in the world, all Cane’s general managers are held to the highest standards. These 10 “Big Kahuna” winners are the best of the best, with several of them beginning their career at Cane’s as hourly workers, and many of them now part of the industry-leading millionaire Restaurant Partner Program.