Layne’s Chicken Fingers, a Soon to be famous™ energetic and rapidly expanding chicken finger concept, announced plans to partner with franchisees to open 100 new locations by 2025. Already a legend in Texas with a 30-year history and an army of brand fanatics who stayed loyal during the pandemic, the brand’s leadership plans to help franchisees leverage the current abundance of commercial real estate to replicate their success across the United States. Territories across the nation are wide open for development, and the brand has its sights set on further growth in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona to start.

“Our goal is to make Layne’s a household name, and we will help our franchisees bring our culture of delivering perfect food with outstanding service each and every order, guaranteeing return customers who can’t get enough,” said Garrett Reed, Layne’s Chicken Fingers’ CEO.  “We have the right brand at the right time to achieve major growth over the next four years. We’re looking for franchise partners with the drive and ambition to help us do that.”

The six locations that were open during the pandemic not only survived, but they thrived. In fact, the locations saw 40% year-over-year sales growth. Even with dining rooms closed, Layne’s Chicken Fingers hardly took a hit, as 70% of the brand’s traffic is drive-thru or delivery. Based on that proven success despite COVID-19 challenges, the brand is introducing a new model with smaller footprints that come at an easier point of entry for franchise prospects.

A Fan Favorite Franchise With a Built-In Fan Base Ready To Grow

The successful cult following started in 1994 near Texas A&M University in College Station. Since then, it has grown from a tiny campus phenomenon to a Lone Star State icon, providing good times and delicious food at seven locations in Texas, with three in College Station and four in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The brand is also expanding to add three more locations by the end of the year adding the Houston market.  

The simple to execute, the long-time guest favorite menu is perfect for a franchise concept. Layne’s hand-battered chicken fingers are served with housemade dipping sauces like buttermilk ranch, honey mustard, BBQ and Layne’s — a tangy, zesty favorite that has gained loyalists for three decades. 

Layne’s expansion began in 2017, when Reed and fellow entrepreneur Matt O’Reilly approached Layne’s then-owner, Mike Garratt, about expanding the brand through franchising.  With Reed’s real estate development experience  and O’Reilly’s finance background, the team brought in operational and franchising expert Samir Wattar as COO. Wattar has created a smooth and efficient operating template, helping the brand to thrive with multiple corporate-owned and soon-to-be franchised stores in Texas.

With experience in these crucial areas for franchise development and a proven track record behind it already, this dream team is now welcoming investors who are ready to bring the brand to more people in more places.

“I believe in franchising, but I don’t believe in simply selling franchises. I believe in opening successful restaurants,” Wattar said. “I and the rest of the leadership team want to open strong restaurants and help someone’s dream to own a business come true.”

Newly Vacant Commercial Spaces + Wide Open Territory Availability = Major Growth Opportunities 

Layne’s leadership team thinks now is the time to take advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities of appealing vacant real estate created by the pandemic. It’s targeting second-generation restaurant spaces, which will allow stores to open as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. 

The leadership team believes these real estate opportunities provide a unique opportunity for the brand to drive forward with its culture of positivity, great service and Layne’s Soon to be Famous™ Chicken Fingers to the widest audience it can.

“We want our legacy to be that we helped make people’s lives better by helping them run successful franchises,” said Garrett. “We’re just starting to grow, and with our open territory availability, the sky's the limit to open Layne’s franchises in the best markets all over the United States.”

The brand is looking for franchise candidates with heart and passion who can help launch the brand to the next level, get involved in their communities and bring exceptional service and food to new markets.

“We don’t want people to just invest,” O’Reilly said. “We will make sure that we treat our partnership with our franchisees like it’s our money – maybe even more valuable than our own. We will do everything in our power to make sure that a franchisee opens with a strong showing and continues to do what they need to have a successful restaurant.”

Franchise opportunities range from $737,000 to $1,217,500 with different buildout options available. The brand is looking to grow throughout the country and will concentrate on Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. Learn more about franchising here.

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 by the next four years.