Undoubtedly, one of the strongest aspects of the fifth season of Stranger Things is the introduction of “Delightful” Derek Turnbow, as played by Jake Connelly. Starting as a bully who eventually becomes a beloved member of the crew, Jake Connelly made quite an impression, becoming a focal point in the fan community. After the show’s conclusion, many have wondered what’s next for Connelly? As it turns out, the first stop after the Upside Down is the star’s first brand deal with beloved chicken finger-based fast food chain, Raising Cane’s.
On March 10, 2026, But Why Tho? was invited for a look behind-the-scenes at the filming of an advertisement for the restaurant at one of their locations in Plano, Texas. Sitting across from Jake Connelly in the commercial shoot was none other than Raising Cane’s co-founder, Todd Graves.
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When asked why this particular location was perfect for the shoot, Graves said, “It’s one of our new prototypes [in terms of] the interior design,” while adding “our restaurant support office is right down the road,” and noting that “the proximity is really close for the crew so we can go back and do some more things.”
Stranger Things fans are going to be in heaven once they see the finished advert.
It seems like the grind never stops for Graves, who, along with making delicious, tender sandwich combos (with the secret Cane’s sauce included, of course), was quite the natural working with Connelly on the commercial. It was quite the pleasure seeing Graves and Connelly exchange banter that included many pointed references to the Delightful Derek character.
Unlike his abrasive—but lovable—character on the show, Jake Connelly was nothing but kind, enthusiastic, and professional during the shoot, able to re-adjust a line read or punch up a line at a moment’s notice. Stranger Things fans are going to be in heaven once they see the finished advert.
After shooting the scene that will undoubtedly be the centerpiece of the commercial, Jake Connelly and Todd Graves sat down for a press conference to answer everything about Raising Cane’s and Stranger Things. We had to know how the experience of this shoot compared with the blockbuster-level shoots for the Netflix flagship’s final season.
To that, Connelly answered, “The weird thing is it kind of reminds me a lot of Stranger Things with all the lights and cameras. It’s a really cool experience to have such a huge crew on Stranger Things, just having hundreds and hundreds, and maybe even thousands of people coming up and touching you, putting make-up on you, and doing your hair. I really do enjoy doing a couple of shoots that have a smaller crew like this.”
“I had the sandwich meal for the first time, and I fell in love.”
One of the biggest questions going into this press conference was how this unique collaboration came about. To that, Todd Graves was quick to answer, “I was a huge fan of Stranger Things, especially the fifth season, when Jake came in… so I was just like, we got to get Jake to do [Raising] Cane’s. And luckily, he was a Caniac.”
Jake Connelly’s first time having Raising Cane’s was when one opened up in his hometown of Chicago. The first time I had ever had it, we picked it up for takeout because we saw, ‘Oh, it was this new chicken tender place.’ And, you know, my brother, he’s kind of a picky eater, and chicken tenders are about the only thing that he ever eats,” Connelly continued, “I had the sandwich meal for the first time, and I fell in love.” On his current order preference, Connelly clarified he prefers the “box combo or the three finger combo. I always love getting an extra toast too, my favorite thing ever.”
Naturally, at a certain point, the conversation turned to Jake’s time on Stranger Things. He described arriving in Atlanta, where, as he explained, “I was sitting right next to Joe Keery and Gaten [Matarazzo]. It was so much fun, we were throwing paper at Charlie [Heaton] and each other.” Connelly added on a wholesome note, “They made feel like I was there since season one. It was such a comfortable atmosphere.”
The most exciting answer during the press conference was what Jake wanted to do next in his career.
On which Raising Cane’s meal he would order after a day of fighting monsters in the Stranger Things world, Jake Connelly enthusiastically suggested the Caniac combo due to its six chicken fingers. When asked whether fighting Demogorgons and such in the Upside Down or feeding hungry customers would be more difficult, Connelly hilariously answered that it would be hard to choose, because “I know if my brother came in here, he’d be ravaging the whole place. He would be scavenging for his chicken fingers anywhere he could find.”
Perhaps the most exciting answer during the press conference was when a fellow journalist asked what Connelly would like to do next in his acting career. Jake was quick to answer: “I feel like I would love to do a Marvel or a DC or Star Wars movie next, because that would be so much fun.” Connelly elaborated, “It’s probably kind of the same as Stranger Things with the atmosphere being an action thriller, but I’m really looking forward to things to come. I’m really hoping that I can get a couple more projects in the future. That would be really awesome.”
After the press conference concluded, Todd Graves and the camera crew took Jake into the back-of-house of Raising Cane’s to learn some shift responsibilities. There, Jake learned how to butter the Texas Toast and throw it on the griddle, batter the chicken and put it in the fryer, and pump the Cane’s sauce out of its giant container. After doing the latter, Connelly jokingly pretended like he was going to take the vat of sauce home with him.
The swarm of fans shouting some of Delightful Derek’s lines was an unforgettable experience.
Once the basics were nailed down, a few lucky fans got the chance to be served by Delightful Derek himself. The drive-thru customers seemed starstruck as the person handing them their order was the Stranger Things season 5 breakout, barely disguised by a Raising Cane’s hat and a headset.
Where Jake Connelly really flourished was working the front counter, where he, all smiles, served Box Combos to hungry fans, snapped selfies, and cracked jokes with Todd Graves by his side to help him get the hang of it.
The morning’s festivities at Raising Cane’s concluded with Jake and Todd walking out to greet a crowd of adoring fans, mostly teenagers, likely having cut class on this Tuesday morning to be there. The swarm of fans, shouting some of Delightful Derek’s lines from the show, brought to mind images of Beatlemania. Jake handled the crowd like a true professional, answering as many questions and snapping as many pictures as he could with his signature charm.
As the event wound down, excitement filled the air: excitement for Jake Connelly’s career prospects, excitement for Raising Cane’s, and excitement for the role they play in each other’s lives. The Upside Down and Raising Cane’s crossing paths wasn’t something expected, but seeing that collaboration happen made for an unforgettable experience.
