For Taylor Thomas, franchising is more than a career — it’s a family legacy. Growing up in East Texas, Thomas learned the intricacies of restaurant operations while working alongside his father, a multi-unit franchisee with Whataburger. Over the years, his family built a portfolio of 23 locations, teaching Thomas the value of hard work, collaboration and a customer-first mindset. Now, as a franchisee with Layne’s Chicken Fingers, Thomas is leveraging his experience to help grow the emerging brand with plans to open 25 locations.

In a recent episode of Nick Powills’ “Meet the Franchisee” podcast, Thomas shared how his family’s history in franchising prepared him for this new venture and how Layne’s culture, simplicity, and team-first mentality resonated with him. 

A transcript of Powills’ interview with Thomas has been provided below. It has been edited for brevity, clarity and style.

Nick Powills: Taylor, thanks for doing this. The first question is scripted, but the rest are not. So, how did you accidentally fall into franchising? How did you get into franchising and become a franchisee in the first place?

Taylor Thomas: Well, I guess you could say I was pushed into it. Franchising has been a family business, starting with my father and Whataburger. It kind of just spiraled from there. He became a franchisee with Whataburger in 1988, but it grew from there. He grew up around the Whataburger brand when it was about the same size as Layne’s is now. He got to watch that growth firsthand and see the Dobson family turn Whataburger into what it is today. He built great relationships with the family.

The best thing about franchising — and why he enjoyed it — is that it feels like a family. It’s a group of people growing a brand and working toward the same goal, all pushing in the same direction.

Powills: At what point did you get involved in the family business?

Thomas: This could be a long story, but I’ll keep it short. I started working in the stores when I was 16, while I was still in high school. It began as a summer job. I was told, “As soon as you get a car, you start working.” Our GMs loved it because it was basically free labor for them, so we worked as much as we could.

Powills: So, out of curiosity, at 16 — when you officially got involved — how many stores did your dad own at that point?

Thomas: At 16, we had right at 10.

Powills: And how big did the portfolio get?

Thomas: We’ve grown it from there to 23.

Powills: At 16, I’m curious — at that point, you were probably still dreaming of other things. Obviously, there’s a benefit to being involved in the family business, but did you understand that your dad put blood, sweat and tears into growing from one store to 10? Did you realize how hard he had to work to get to that point?

Thomas: I can honestly say that going from one to 10 was the hardest part. I came in at a good time when the ball was already rolling and picking up steam.

Franchising, especially in the restaurant industry, isn’t a passive investment. You’re in it every day, working with GMs and team members. If something happens and you’re needed, your phone rings and you’re there — especially with Whataburger being a 24-hour operation. There are no off days.

Now, where we are today, it’s a little more manageable because of the size and the structure we’ve put in place to relieve some of that pressure. But franchising is tough, especially in the restaurant world.

Powills: All right, so you’re 16, you’re involved in the business. Did you ever leave the family business or did you stay committed?

Thomas: I stayed in the restaurants until I graduated high school. After that, I went to UT Tyler here in town, and we shifted my focus to a different aspect of the business.

It was time to learn something new, so I moved into the office and started understanding that side of the operation. Six years later, I finished my master’s degree and after that, I moved back into the stores in a director-style role. I did that for about four or five years before transitioning into the role I’m in now.

Powills: Have you had time to reflect and take pride in what you’ve built?

Thomas: Probably not as much as I should. It just keeps going, and the goal is always to push forward and keep improving every single day. I’m blessed to have a team around me with the same drive. It’s really rewarding to look back and see how far we’ve come and where we are today.

Powills: What’s your dream now?

Thomas: Now, we’ve reached what I’d call our max — at least for Whataburger. We have a few more stores to open in our territories, so we’re working on filling out that ADA [area director agreement].

We’ve also signed on with Layne’s for a 25-store deal. We’re excited to grow that brand, take it from the small brand it is today and see what it can become.

Powills: Do you feel like Layne's is your turn? I mean, obviously, you’ve worked hard with Whataburger, but is Layne's your opportunity to say, “OK, this is my time”? You even mentioned earlier that you watched your dad get into Whataburger when it was the size of Layne's. Is this your turn?

Thomas: You could say that. The thing that excites me about Layne's is the team members and the people involved right now.

Just yesterday, we met with two of the other franchisees. There’s this level of excitement because it’s all so new. Everyone is still trying to figure things out and ideas are constantly being bounced around. It was nonstop feedback, collaboration and problem-solving — working through challenges to figure out the best path forward to build and enhance the brand into what we believe it can become.

Powills: Out of curiosity, did you find Layne's accidentally? Did they reach out to you? How did you even start thinking about diversifying the portfolio?

Thomas: We noticed our territory with Whataburger was becoming limited. We were still trying to grow and acquire more territory, but we needed to figure out which areas would work best for us. In our East Texas market, things were getting tight, so we started looking at other brands that aligned with who we are and shared similar aspirations and values to Whataburger.

We explored a number of brands, but none of them really stood out as “the one.” They were good brands, but there was always something missing.

One day, I was having lunch with a real estate contact and he asked if I’d ever heard of Layne’s. I told him I had no idea what he was talking about. He explained it was a small brand out of College Station and suggested I reach out. He even offered to connect me with them. I sent out a message and [COO] Samir [Wattar] got back to us.

It just so happened I was heading to San Marcos, which took me right through College Station. I stopped by, sat down with Samir and he introduced me to the brand. He shared who they were — their goals and their vision. Everything he said aligned perfectly with what we were looking for — their concept, product mix and goals — it all resonated with us.

After the meeting, I couldn’t stop thinking about Layne’s the whole time I was in San Marcos. About three or four weeks later, I reached out again and we set up another meeting. This time, I met [CEO] Garrett [Reed] and his entire family. Their passion and the direction they were taking the brand were exactly what we were looking for. It felt like the perfect match.

Powills: When I talk with franchisees and try to understand what pushes them to make a decision, it often boils down to two things: there has to be a culture match and a solid business model. When those two align, it’s not overly hard to sell franchises.

Another thing that stands out to me is when I hear Garrett talk about “protecting the brand” and “protecting the franchisees.” That’s such a rare mindset to find in this business.

Thomas: Yes, sir. Layne’s has that, and at their size, it’s exactly what they need. They have a family-style atmosphere. You walk in and I could call Garrett today, pick up the phone and whatever I needed, he’d be there. The same goes for Samir — it’s the same dynamic.

As more franchisees come on board, the dynamic hasn’t changed. If there’s a question or a problem, they respond immediately. It’s like, “Hey, we’re having the same issue. Let’s meet, talk about it, figure out a solution and push through it.”

When you have a group of people like that and a brand like Layne’s, good things are bound to happen.

Powills: All right, here’s what I see. I can’t call myself an outsider because I have an intimate view of the business. This is complex because I’ve been in franchising for 20 years, and I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything like this.

You have owners—the founders of the franchise—who are very well-capitalized, so they don’t need to sell franchises. That alone is rare for a brand this size because most franchisors at this stage need to sell franchises just to keep the lights on.

Then there’s their expertise in real estate selection. They’re not going to pick bad locations or negotiate bad deals. They’re strategic about how to get the building up or secure a favorable lease.

And then you hire someone like Samir. I love the guy—every business he joins, he’s like, “First, I’m going to save what they pay me in salary.” Then he works his magic on supply chain and operationalizes the business. With no pressure to sell franchises, he has the time to get everything right. By the end of this process, the product itself is pretty damn good.

Then you add Garrett and [CFO] Matt [O’Reilly], who don’t bring egos to the table — they’re just fun, kind and down-to-earth human beings. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this combination in franchising before. How does that connect with you?

Thomas: It’s definitely special. If I had to put it into words, it’s the same culture as Whataburger — our other brand. It’s the same thought process, the same values.

The two brands mirror each other so much, and we’ve all seen what Whataburger has grown into. It’s impressive — that’s really the only word for it. I’m very excited to see where Layne’s can go and what they can achieve.

Powills: All right. So, from 1988 to now, you’ve built up to 23 stores. That’s a healthy timeline to grow a portfolio. Do you feel like there’s a sense of FOMO with Layne’s? Are you accelerating faster on the 25-store plan than you did with Whataburger?

Thomas: We are going to accelerate a lot faster, but I wouldn’t call it FOMO. I think it’s more about organization and structure.

With the growth from one to 23 stores on the Whataburger side, my dad was starting from scratch — building a team and putting everything in place to make sure things flowed smoothly. Now, we already have that foundation. We have the structure, we know how to operate restaurants and we have the right people behind us. That’s what’s going to accelerate our growth. Right now, we’re planning to open four stores next year and shooting for five.

If you had told me that 10 years ago, I would’ve said, “You’re crazy. That’s a bad idea.” But with the team we have now and the support Samir provides — especially with supply chain and operations — I feel solid about it.

The only thing that could slow us down is finding the right locations.

Powills: That’s a good governor to have because you’re saying, “We’re not going to sacrifice location just for the badge of opening another restaurant,” which can lead to problems later.

Two final questions. First, if you’re looking in the mirror — it’s a weird question, but bear with me — do you see yourself as a franchisee, a restaurant operator or an entrepreneur? What do you identify as? What’s your “business pronoun”?

Thomas: That’s a tough one. I guess the easiest answer is I see us as franchisees.

When I use that word, though, I don’t just think of it in the literal sense. To me, being a franchisee is all about the teams you’re working with. The word “franchisee” mirrors family for me, and that’s really important.

I want to make sure we keep that dynamic intact. It’s about preserving that niche — that bubble — where we can stay connected. Franchisees working together, supporting each other and growing closer like a family — that’s what it means to me and that’s what’s important.

Powills: Multi-unit franchisees are often seen as the cream of the crop in franchising. Multi-unit, multi-brand franchisees take it a step further. You’ve built an impressive career and now you’re duplicating what you’ve already accomplished once.

For someone out there who hasn’t come across Layne’s yet — maybe because the footprint isn’t large — but who’s in a similar position to you — already building a portfolio — what should they know about this opportunity?

Thomas: What’s great about Layne’s? One of the best parts is the product. And when I say that, it’s not just about the food being great — though it is.

The chicken, the fries, the toast — everything is wonderful. But the key is the simplicity of the menu. Garrett, Samir, the team and all the franchisees are committed to maintaining that simplicity so we can consistently deliver a great product.

A lot of brands try to be okay at a lot of different things. But Garrett and Samir want Layne’s to be the best at one thing — chicken tenders. And that focus speaks volumes.

Powills: Well, I appreciate you sharing some of your story. You’ve accomplished tremendous things, as has your family.

I love that you continue to emphasize family and team. That’s the right kind of ego in business, in my opinion — it fosters success, builds wealth, and creates opportunity. Thank you for sharing your story with us today, Taylor.

Thomas: Well, great, Nick. Thanks for having me.

Powills: Love it. For Taylor, I’m Nick. That’s another episode of “Meet the Zee.”

Watch the full interview above or on YouTube. 

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers.