Retail and Restaurant Facility Business: Upon Owner’s Retirement, Layne’s Acquires 3 Original Flagship Restaurants

Before Layne’s Chicken Fingers transitioned into franchising, Mike Garratt was the sole owner. Garratt first experienced the chicken finger restaurant as a student and began working at the restaurant before fully taking over the business. When the brand began franchising, he entered into a licensing agreement with the franchisor and collaborated with the franchise leadership team regarding the future of the concept. Now, as he transitions into retirement, the franchise is taking ownership of the original three Layne’s locations in College Station, Texas.

“I’ve had these restaurants for 30 years now, and it’s really all I’ve been doing since my sophomore year of college,” said Garratt. “We’ve grown, the brand has gained recognition, we’ve built up a base of loyal fans in College Station, and now we’re bringing Layne’s to people throughout Texas and beyond.”

Garrett Reed, CEO of Layne’s, explained that the original location will be preserved, creating a time capsule of sorts, and the other two will be brought up to the most updated brand standards. The end of the licensing agreement also allows the Layne’s corporate team to consider new growth within a 50-mile radius of the original College Station location.

While Garratt will no longer be operating the College Station restaurants, he will continue to serve on the board and remains a partial owner in the company.

“As we have the ability to grow within that 50-mile radius and our existing Texas franchisees can grow towards it, we can increase the concentration of Layne’s in the area,” added Reed. “That will also boost brand recognition and loyalty.”

On top of the acquisition, Layne’s is slated to open five more restaurants by the end of the year and has a loaded pipeline for 2024.

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Franchise opportunities range from $656,000 - $1,280,500 with different buildout options available. To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers/info.