Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the 50-plus-unit chicken finger franchise, is growing consistently across the country. While its expansion in recent years has been impressive, the leadership team has achieved something that’s arguably more impressive than its footprint growth: driving this growth without losing what makes Layne’s special. While it has transformed from a local Texas favorite to a multi-state chicken finger favorite, Layne’s is still Layne’s. And this is specifically thanks to the leadership team’s commitment to protecting the brand and its franchisees.
“We’re always looking at our guiding principles: ‘Protect the brand’ and ‘Protect the franchisee,’” said CEO Garrett Reed. “To us, this means protecting the heart of Layne’s and what makes our model special, and it means ensuring owners have the systems and supports they need to thrive.”
At Layne’s, this starts with a careful consideration of the franchise partners who join the system.
Layne’s has focused intently on partnering with the right people. A major component of Layne’s success is the brand’s ability to take great operators and turn them into high-performing Layne’s owners.
“We’ve been hyper-focused on bringing in franchise partners who have infrastructure that we believe in,” Reed said. “The key to growing rapidly is having partners who have the knowledge and infrastructure. This way, we’re not teaching them how to run a restaurant or be a business owner. We’re teaching them how to be a Layne’s owner.”
By partnering with builders who can integrate themselves into the brand and support the success of both their own locations and the greater good of the group, the Layne’s leadership team ensures they’re able to focus on brand identity.
Much of Layne’s brand identity is centered around quality. So, to maintain its soul, the leadership team has ensured that corporate support outpaces the overall growth of the system.
“We’ve spent the last seven years building a support system,” Reed said. “We currently have 50 restaurants open and nearly 30 team members in the support center. That ratio is unheard of in the restaurant franchise space.”
In addition to bringing the people on board, Layne’s works to ensure they have all of the necessary training and expertise to truly serve as an asset to franchise partners and their teams.
“Our training team is unbelievable,” Reed said. “We’ve continued to grow it, adding more people to the travel training team, and as we establish more franchisees in new states, we’ll also have restaurants where we can complete training rather than having every new owner come to Dallas.”
This dedication to franchisee support is a key driver of financial health at the unit level — Reed’s third point of focus in maintaining Layne’s as it is known and loved today.
To protect the Layne’s brand, the leadership team has consistently focused on keeping franchisees’ costs low while driving both top-line revenue and bottom-line profitability.
Unlike some franchisors that make money off of their supply chain and equipment packages, Layne’s negotiates contracts to secure the best prices for its products and equipment, and it passes those savings along to the franchisees.
“We don’t mark up any of the items we secure for our franchisees,” Reed said. “We’re probably the only QSR in the industry that doesn’t do that. There’s nothing wrong with it, but I challenge you to find any other franchisor that doesn’t sell the product with an upcharge for what corporate takes off the top.”
The simplicity of the model makes the sourcing process even simpler. Layne’s focuses on chicken fingers and serves two dayparts rather than unnecessarily diversifying the menu and extending operating hours. So, the equipment package is simpler, and the business is easier to operate. This drives profitability while allowing Layne’s operators to, again, focus on the brand’s staples and maintaining the quality and service it’s known for.
“One of the key ways we protect the brand and protect the franchisees is by helping our franchisees be profitable,” Reed said. “The steps taken to support profitability also help us stay true to the Layne’s identity; it’s a win-win.”
Layne’s success and enduring alignment with its brand identity boils down to true alignment throughout the system. The leadership team knows that, when franchisees win, Layne’s wins. When the unit economics work, franchisees are able to stay profitable and reinvest in their own teams and systems, supporting the growth and success of the entire system.
As Layne’s continues to bring killer chicken fingers and its fun, laid-back culture to new markets, the leadership team is ensuring it does so with a strong foundation and unwavering commitment to what makes Layne’s special, protecting its legacy of profitability and passion.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers.
Layne's Chicken Fingers
SPONSORED
The Texas-based chicken finger franchise is distinctly “Layne’s.” By prioritizing the right partners, maintaining support and focusing on profitability, it’s driving growth without sacrificing soul.
Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the 50-plus-unit chicken finger franchise, is growing consistently across the country. While its expansion in recent years has been impressive, the leadership team has achieved something that’s arguably more impressive than its footprint growth: driving this growth without losing what makes Layne’s special. While it has transformed from a local Texas favorite to a multi-state chicken finger favorite, Layne’s is still Layne’s. And this is specifically thanks to the leadership team’s commitment to protecting the brand and its franchisees.
“We’re always looking at our guiding principles: ‘Protect the brand’ and ‘Protect the franchisee,’” said CEO Garrett Reed. “To us, this means protecting the heart of Layne’s and what makes our model special, and it means ensuring owners have the systems and supports they need to thrive.”
At Layne’s, this starts with a careful consideration of the franchise partners who join the system.
Layne’s has focused intently on partnering with the right people. A major component of Layne’s success is the brand’s ability to take great operators and turn them into high-performing Layne’s owners.
“We’ve been hyper-focused on bringing in franchise partners who have infrastructure that we believe in,” Reed said. “The key to growing rapidly is having partners who have the knowledge and infrastructure. This way, we’re not teaching them how to run a restaurant or be a business owner. We’re teaching them how to be a Layne’s owner.”
By partnering with builders who can integrate themselves into the brand and support the success of both their own locations and the greater good of the group, the Layne’s leadership team ensures they’re able to focus on brand identity.
Much of Layne’s brand identity is centered around quality. So, to maintain its soul, the leadership team has ensured that corporate support outpaces the overall growth of the system.
“We’ve spent the last seven years building a support system,” Reed said. “We currently have 50 restaurants open and nearly 30 team members in the support center. That ratio is unheard of in the restaurant franchise space.”
In addition to bringing the people on board, Layne’s works to ensure they have all of the necessary training and expertise to truly serve as an asset to franchise partners and their teams.
“Our training team is unbelievable,” Reed said. “We’ve continued to grow it, adding more people to the travel training team, and as we establish more franchisees in new states, we’ll also have restaurants where we can complete training rather than having every new owner come to Dallas.”
This dedication to franchisee support is a key driver of financial health at the unit level — Reed’s third point of focus in maintaining Layne’s as it is known and loved today.
To protect the Layne’s brand, the leadership team has consistently focused on keeping franchisees’ costs low while driving both top-line revenue and bottom-line profitability.
Unlike some franchisors that make money off of their supply chain and equipment packages, Layne’s negotiates contracts to secure the best prices for its products and equipment, and it passes those savings along to the franchisees.
“We don’t mark up any of the items we secure for our franchisees,” Reed said. “We’re probably the only QSR in the industry that doesn’t do that. There’s nothing wrong with it, but I challenge you to find any other franchisor that doesn’t sell the product with an upcharge for what corporate takes off the top.”
The simplicity of the model makes the sourcing process even simpler. Layne’s focuses on chicken fingers and serves two dayparts rather than unnecessarily diversifying the menu and extending operating hours. So, the equipment package is simpler, and the business is easier to operate. This drives profitability while allowing Layne’s operators to, again, focus on the brand’s staples and maintaining the quality and service it’s known for.
“One of the key ways we protect the brand and protect the franchisees is by helping our franchisees be profitable,” Reed said. “The steps taken to support profitability also help us stay true to the Layne’s identity; it’s a win-win.”
Layne’s success and enduring alignment with its brand identity boils down to true alignment throughout the system. The leadership team knows that, when franchisees win, Layne’s wins. When the unit economics work, franchisees are able to stay profitable and reinvest in their own teams and systems, supporting the growth and success of the entire system.
As Layne’s continues to bring killer chicken fingers and its fun, laid-back culture to new markets, the leadership team is ensuring it does so with a strong foundation and unwavering commitment to what makes Layne’s special, protecting its legacy of profitability and passion.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers.
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