From College Employee to Franchisee: How a Loyal Layne's Fan From Day 1 Became an Owner

Michael Hickerson has been a loyal fan of Layne’s Chicken Fingers*, the Soon-to-be FamousTM chicken franchise, from the very beginning. As a college student at Texas A&M, he worked in both the first and second Layne’s locations, even helping prep the building for the second location, and he still craves the iconic chicken fingers all these years later.

In fact, Hickerson loved Layne’s food so much that he decided to become a franchisee to bring his beloved southern cuisine to the Cheyenne, Wyoming, area where he and his family live. Hickerson admits that there have been a few times over the years when he thought about calling his old boss and the brand’s original owner, Mike Garratt, to see if he could open a location in Wyoming. Still, he didn’t realize how plausible this truly was until recently. 

“I have always loved Layne’s food and the brand, but when I worked there, it wasn’t a franchise yet, so I didn’t realize franchising opportunities were available,” said Hickerson. 

When his brother mentioned a Layne’s was coming to their hometown in Texas, Hickerson did some research. When he discovered that the brand offered franchise opportunities, he jumped at the chance to become an owner.

From working in the first two locations to becoming a business owner with the brand, Hickerson’s journey with Layne’s has been enjoyable at every step. He even looks forward to passing down his Layne’s restaurant to his children someday.

1851 Franchise spoke with Hickerson about his journey into franchising and his plans for the future.

FEATURE QUESTIONS

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Hickerson: I have worked in banking and real estate for a while now, but my journey with Layne’s started when I was in college. 

I went to college at Texas A&M. Mike Garret was the guy in charge of Layne’s then. I worked there at Layne’s original location while I was in college, and he was in the process of opening the second store in College Station at the time. Once that opened up, I worked at that location quite a lot.

Mike is a unique individual. He is a classic entrepreneur, watching his own money in his investment and taking responsibility for its success. I helped him out with some grouting work and things like that on some of his other investment properties back then, and I also helped with a few jobs around the second Layne’s location when it was first being built. I remember helping paint some of the built in furniture, for example. 

I have always loved Layne’s food and the brand, but when I worked there, it wasn’t a franchise yet, so I didn’t realize franchising opportunities were available. Recently, my brother told me there was a Layne’s opening in Corsicana, Texas, which is where I’m from, so I looked into it and discovered Layne’s was, in fact, offering franchising. 

I reached out to Layne’s right away; I wasn’t necessarily searching for a business venture, but this was a great opportunity to bring some of my favorite southern food to my new community in Wyoming and I couldn’t pass it up!

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Hickerson: I am brand new! I am nervously excited about what this will all look like. 

I love food and I always loved the idea of owning my own restaurant. I could never do it on my own though. 

The franchise model includes somebody smarter than me testing out the concepts before I enter the picture. The brand has had a chance to refine its processes and products in a way that would be really difficult for an independent business owner. The major benefit of a franchise is that you've got a team behind you supporting you.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Hickerson: I think their food is excellent. Layne’s was in the area of my college town long before [Raising] Cane’s came around. All the students went to Layne’s; it was almost considered unloyal to go to Cane’s as a student. Layne’s was just a great atmosphere; that fun has been carried into the decor and brand.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Hickerson: We are currently looking for premises in either Laramie or Cheyenne, but we hope to have one in each location. It would be cool if I continued to grow and develop beyond that, but I have a lot to figure out with this initial location first. 

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Hickerson: In my day-to-day job, I’m a banker but I’m a behind the scenes guy, so this will be an adjustment for me to be the face of this brand on a local level. 

My wife and I want to do this together. We want our kids to be able to grow into this, too. We’ve already told them they will work there one day, and our 11-year-old daughter is already itching to run the register.

Everything we do, we do it as a family. My kids will learn some great work ethic from this experience when they are older, and we can hopefully pass the business down to them someday.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Hickerson: The best piece of advice I got was to talk to existing franchise owners. They are in the trenches and have a lot of feedback. Folks are happy to talk about their success most of the time. That’s a great way to learn more about your potential experience.

ABOUT LAYNE'S CHICKEN FINGERS

Founded in 1994 in College Station, the original location became a Texas A&M legend known for its small-town charm, friendly service, iconic chicken fingers and secret sauce. While opening corporate locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the leadership team focused on fine tuning its operations and starting to franchise.  

Franchise opportunities range from $545,000 to $1,190,000 with different buildout options available. Learn more about franchising here.