COLLEGE STATION, TX — Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the Soon to be Famous™ chicken franchise with 17 restaurants open and hundreds more in development, has seen rapid growth in recent years. As it continues to expand, the leadership team is dedicated to keeping the growth of its support team ahead of that of the franchise system. As CEO Garrett Reed explains it, “We’ve spent the last two years building that team, so unlike other young franchise groups, we don’t have to catch up to the growth of our franchisees — we’re ahead of pace.”

The newest development for the corporate team is the addition of Justin Olivieri, Layne’s director of construction. Oliveri was previously with Main & Main Capital Group, a retail development and finance group, where he spent years working hand-in-hand with the Layne’s team to support franchisees through the real estate selection and build-out process. Now, he’s officially a part of the Layne’s team and is fully dedicated to supporting local owners as they work to open over 260 new restaurants in the coming years.

“I am a liaison for our franchisees for anything as small as a question about paint colors to something as big as designing the building and running the construction for them so that it’s out of sight, out of mind,” Olivieri said. “It depends on their needs and their wants, but I’m here to help them achieve their goal of opening a Layne’s Chicken Fingers, whatever that pathway looks like for them.”

During his time with Main & Main, Olivieri worked with companies like Dutch Bros, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Chili’s and Dunkin’, often with aggressive development schedules. His rich background in construction and experience with a range of restaurant brands and models has equipped him with the knowledge he needs to support efficient design and build-out of Layne’s locations and guide franchisees through the development process.

“Our prototype was designed by myself and Garrett based on feedback from the entire system. We send the franchisees the drawings if they want to build our prototype from the ground up. On second-generation locations, I will get the footprint of the building; draw in our equipment package, the furniture, and exactly what we want that building to look like on the inside; and then I’ll tell them what it needs to look like on the outside in terms of signage, paint and all that stuff,” he said. “Whichever way we do it, I coordinate with the equipment people, the sign guys and all of the other teams to make sure they understand what we want and how it needs to work. I coordinate all pieces of the design and construction throughout the entire process.”

As the brand continues to grow, Olivieri said he’s excited to support the system in maintaining its rapid expansion.

“As for plans for the future, I’m here to grow this brand as far as they will let me,” he said. “Flexibility is the key to national success, and I’m in a really good position with a team of flexible, innovative people who are also here for the long-haul.”

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.  

Franchise opportunities range from $446,500 to $1,015,000 with different buildout options available. Learn more about franchising here.