Layne’s Chicken Fingers Enters State of Wisconsin With New Three-Unit Deal

JANESVILLE, WI — Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the Texas “born and breaded” famous™ chicken franchise with 14 restaurants open across the U.S. and another 118 sold, is coming to Wisconsin. After building a name (and cult following) for itself in its hometown of College Station, Texas, with its laid-back guest experience and some of the crispiest chicken tenders in the state, the brand began offering franchises and quickly expanded across multiple states. Now, it has signed a three-unit deal with Lucas, Josh, and Randy Bergeson and Yodani Hernandez.

Some people say that working with family is impossible, but Randy Bergeson, his sons Josh and Lucas along with their fourth business partner Hernandez, say they can’t envision doing business any other way. Randy grew up in his family’s Italian restaurant, which primed him to run restaurants of his own. He opened his first Subway location when Josh and Lucas were still in middle and high school. For the last eight years, Lucas has been working alongside Hernandez as well. He is an immigrant from Mexico who was a roofer by trade, but found his calling in the Begerson’s restaurants. Now, he’s grown from line cook all the way to area manager to Director of Operations. The Bergersons consider him part of the family and have made him an equal partner in every new project.

Once the two came back from college, they found their way back into the family business. In 2015, the family opened the first of five MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes locations. Now, the family business is growing and diversifying further, with a new Layne’s Chicken Fingers franchise in Janesville, Wisconsin expected to open spring of 2024, with two more locations coming to Wisconsin in the near future. 

“We decided if we were going to be in such a saturated market, we needed to have the best chicken to be able to say we are as good or better than everybody else in this space. We did a lot of side by side comparisons with other chicken tender concepts, and nothing stood up to Layne’s,” explained Lucas.

The Wisconsin deal will bring the first locations to Wisconsin with the Bergesons and Hernandez, serving as key players in Layne’s continued expansion. Last year, the brand awarded 48 restaurants to passionate franchisees and is showing no sign of slowing down. With this entry into Wisconsin, Layne’s is one step closer to its goal of having 50 units by the end of 2025.

“We’re happy to welcome the Bergesons and Hernandez to the system,” said Chief Operating Officer Samir Wattar. “We know they will bring the same value to Layne’s as they have with the other brands they’ve worked with. This is the first location in the state, and we’re optimistic about our growth in the market.”

Through its national expansion, Layne’s simple but delicious menu and welcoming restaurant atmosphere have helped it stand out above other competitors in the chicken market. In the over $59 billion fast food chicken segment, Layne’s finds an attractive balance between modern innovation and the proven classics, incorporating new flavors and technological advancements without losing the heart of what makes them special.

For franchisees looking to grow in the booming fast food chicken industry, Layne’s offers a standout product, a unique guest experience, and internal corporate support to encourage long-term success.

As it continues to grow, Layne’s is looking to sell out its home state of Texas and begin planting flags in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Florida.

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.  Now, the company is planning to bring Layne’s Soon to be Famous™ Chicken Fingers to the rest of the world with plans to open 100 locations in the next four years. Learn more about franchising with Layne’s: https://layneschickenfranchising.com/