Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the chicken finger franchise “Born and Breaded” in College Station, Texas, in 1994, held its first franchisee conference in February. While Layne’s was a College Station staple for decades, it only began offering franchises more recently. Once it did, though, it saw explosive growth. Now, with more than 20 restaurants open and over 250 more in progress, the team is setting the stage for continued growth in the coming years.
“We’re always looking forward, and we did the same at our inaugural franchisee conference,” said Samir Wattar, chief operating officer. “This started with how we structured the event. When we all came together, we weren’t talking about the past. We had a meeting with the franchisees prior to the conference to share last year’s results, so when we all got together, everything was focused on what’s next for Layne’s.”
Wattar believes that the best affirmation of Layne’s work is franchisees’ success and continued interest. While the conference was forward-facing, it also provided a clear picture of just how far the brand has come since it began franchising.
“I recently celebrated my four-year anniversary with Layne’s,” he said. “To reflect on where we were when I joined versus where we are now is just incredible. When I came on board, we had six restaurants — three in College Station and three in Dallas. Now, we’ve nearly multiplied that by four in four years, and we’re continuing to grow with a goal of 45 locations open by the end of this year.”
To celebrate the people who make the Soon to be FamousTM brand what it is, the team gave several awards.
“Masroor was our first franchisee to sign on, and he’s been an incredible partner,” Wattar said. “He already has five restaurants open and has four more scheduled to open this year. His operations are performing exceptionally well.”
“The Bergesons embody what we look for in franchise partners,” Wattar said. “Their commitment to operational excellence and customer service is validated by our customer feedback platform and their continued success, even when a major competitor opened directly across the street from them. Every indicator points to how well they take care of their team and guests.
“We asked franchisees who had been the most helpful to them,” Wattar said. “Justin’s name was a constant. We’re in such a growth season, and he’s been a key player. And the feedback was consistent: whenever franchisees needed him, he was there.”
In addition to celebrating the wins of the year, Layne’s took time to spotlight the processes that set the entire system up for success.
“We focused a lot on what we call the ‘relay race’ — the journey from when a franchisee signs their agreement to opening day,” he said. “It starts with real estate and construction, then passes to training and so on. We want our franchisees to understand how each department supports them at every stage of their journey with us.”
In addition to discussing what’s coming up this year and what Layne’s ever-growing support structure will look like as unit count continues to climb, the leadership team hosted an open forum Q&A session to address any additional questions.
“We ended the conference with an open forum where the entire leadership team — myself, Garrett [Reed], Matt [O’Reilly] and Eric [Reed] — sat on stage taking unfiltered questions,” Wattar said. “No pre-screening, nothing off-limits. One franchisee told us afterward, ‘I can’t believe you actually stood up there, let people ask you anything, and answered honestly.’ But that was important to us. That transparency is a part of our culture we all hold very dear.”
As the team looks forward to upcoming growth, Wattar reiterated a unique strategy: The leadership team is not focused on reaching a specific unit count. Rather, they’re looking to identify and grow with entrepreneurs who will be true partners in Layne’s success, and they remain committed to treating franchisees just as franchisees are expected to treat Layne’s guests.
“I tell everyone in our office the same thing: We’re not in the restaurant business; we’re in the service business,” Wattar said. “Our franchisees invest in our brand, and we need to treat them the way we expect them to treat any Layne’s guest who walks through their door. That perspective drives everything we do.
“Standing there at the conference, looking around at all our franchisees together … It was a moment of awe for Garrett and I,” he continued. “We've had many conversations about whether we're doing the right things, and seeing everyone together — the camaraderie between our franchisees, the interaction with our vendor partners — that was the validation we needed."
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers.
Layne's Chicken Fingers
SPONSORED
Following a year of impressive growth from the Texas-based chicken finger brand, franchisees and home-office team members alike reunited in February to celebrate successes and look toward the future.
Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the chicken finger franchise “Born and Breaded” in College Station, Texas, in 1994, held its first franchisee conference in February. While Layne’s was a College Station staple for decades, it only began offering franchises more recently. Once it did, though, it saw explosive growth. Now, with more than 20 restaurants open and over 250 more in progress, the team is setting the stage for continued growth in the coming years.
“We’re always looking forward, and we did the same at our inaugural franchisee conference,” said Samir Wattar, chief operating officer. “This started with how we structured the event. When we all came together, we weren’t talking about the past. We had a meeting with the franchisees prior to the conference to share last year’s results, so when we all got together, everything was focused on what’s next for Layne’s.”
Wattar believes that the best affirmation of Layne’s work is franchisees’ success and continued interest. While the conference was forward-facing, it also provided a clear picture of just how far the brand has come since it began franchising.
“I recently celebrated my four-year anniversary with Layne’s,” he said. “To reflect on where we were when I joined versus where we are now is just incredible. When I came on board, we had six restaurants — three in College Station and three in Dallas. Now, we’ve nearly multiplied that by four in four years, and we’re continuing to grow with a goal of 45 locations open by the end of this year.”
To celebrate the people who make the Soon to be FamousTM brand what it is, the team gave several awards.
“Masroor was our first franchisee to sign on, and he’s been an incredible partner,” Wattar said. “He already has five restaurants open and has four more scheduled to open this year. His operations are performing exceptionally well.”
“The Bergesons embody what we look for in franchise partners,” Wattar said. “Their commitment to operational excellence and customer service is validated by our customer feedback platform and their continued success, even when a major competitor opened directly across the street from them. Every indicator points to how well they take care of their team and guests.
“We asked franchisees who had been the most helpful to them,” Wattar said. “Justin’s name was a constant. We’re in such a growth season, and he’s been a key player. And the feedback was consistent: whenever franchisees needed him, he was there.”
In addition to celebrating the wins of the year, Layne’s took time to spotlight the processes that set the entire system up for success.
“We focused a lot on what we call the ‘relay race’ — the journey from when a franchisee signs their agreement to opening day,” he said. “It starts with real estate and construction, then passes to training and so on. We want our franchisees to understand how each department supports them at every stage of their journey with us.”
In addition to discussing what’s coming up this year and what Layne’s ever-growing support structure will look like as unit count continues to climb, the leadership team hosted an open forum Q&A session to address any additional questions.
“We ended the conference with an open forum where the entire leadership team — myself, Garrett [Reed], Matt [O’Reilly] and Eric [Reed] — sat on stage taking unfiltered questions,” Wattar said. “No pre-screening, nothing off-limits. One franchisee told us afterward, ‘I can’t believe you actually stood up there, let people ask you anything, and answered honestly.’ But that was important to us. That transparency is a part of our culture we all hold very dear.”
As the team looks forward to upcoming growth, Wattar reiterated a unique strategy: The leadership team is not focused on reaching a specific unit count. Rather, they’re looking to identify and grow with entrepreneurs who will be true partners in Layne’s success, and they remain committed to treating franchisees just as franchisees are expected to treat Layne’s guests.
“I tell everyone in our office the same thing: We’re not in the restaurant business; we’re in the service business,” Wattar said. “Our franchisees invest in our brand, and we need to treat them the way we expect them to treat any Layne’s guest who walks through their door. That perspective drives everything we do.
“Standing there at the conference, looking around at all our franchisees together … It was a moment of awe for Garrett and I,” he continued. “We've had many conversations about whether we're doing the right things, and seeing everyone together — the camaraderie between our franchisees, the interaction with our vendor partners — that was the validation we needed."
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers.
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