Small-Town Feel, Big Time Growth: Layne’s Provides Franchisees a Unique Opportunity

Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the Soon to be Famous™ fried chicken franchise, is situated in a booming industry but has managed to keep that elusive small business, homey environment that consumers love. 

Layne’s has gained a loyal legion of fans with its unique small-town atmosphere and crave-worthy comfort food that simply cannot be duplicated by other large chain restaurant brands. These factors, along with franchisee support and a proven business model, makes Layne’s a one-of-a-kind business opportunity for potential franchise owners.

A Small-Town Neighborly Gesture Led to Business Ownership

The brand’s distinct small-town charm largely comes from its dedication to friendly service and crowd-pleasing comfort food. It’s only fitting that Layne’s got its start from a neighborly act of kindness.

A year after Mike Layne opened the doors of Layne’s flagship location in College Station, he encountered Mike Garratt. Garratt, a college student at the time who had come by for some lunch, stopped to clean up the flower beds on his way into the restaurant. This quiet, helpful deed earned Garratt a spot on the Layne’s team, and eventually led to his promotion to the sole owner of the brand. 

Layne’s has continued to place friendliness at the core of all it does, making the restaurant chain feel uniquely quaint in the massive fried chicken segment. This has in part led to it gaining a cult-like following, with Garratt reporting that he has even seen people wearing Layne’s shirts on their wedding day. 

Who Doesn’t Love Fried Chicken?

The average American eats over 100 pounds of chicken per year. This puts Layne’s Chicken Fingers in a booming industry with high demand.

The quick service, take-out fried chicken market is on track to make $9.85 billion by 2030 with a steady compound annual growth rate of 5.50%, but with fierce competition from industry giants, the question stands: How does Layne’s stand apart from the competition?

Layne’s Chicken Fingers, as the brand name implies, offers simple, delicious, chicken without the unnecessary frills. As the brand expands beyond Texas, consumers can look forward to the authentic Texan fare no matter where they are.

The menu features fried chicken in various forms, including a three-finger chicken sandwich served on Texas toast, a fried chicken club sandwich with bacon and cheese and the ever classic chicken fingers served with sauces like buttermilk ranch, honey mustard, BBQ and Layne’s secret sauce — a tangy, zesty in-house creation that has become a favorite among loyal customers.

Support for Franchisees

In addition to great food, Samir Wattar, Layne’s COO, has created a streamlined operating template to ensure consistency across locations, thereby allowing franchisees to benefit from the brand’s positive reputation and consumers’ brand recognition. 

Many of the brand’s competitors try to do too much, but Layne’s simple menu and straightforward offerings mean that the quality of the product can easily remain consistent across franchise locations, and consumers know they can always expect the same, tasty recipe. 

Moreover, the franchisor offers initial and ongoing training for new business owners, as well as a list of approved suppliers and distributors so that franchisees can outfit their locations with everything they need to open and maintain their business. 

In addition to franchisee growth, Layne’s is committed to corporate investment, demonstrating the brand’s dedication to its growth trajectory. More corporate locations leads to increased brand recognition, which only benefits franchisees.

The brand also has an incredibly robust real estate department given that Garret Reed, CEO of Layne’s Chicken Fingers, is also principal at real estate development company Main & Main Capital Group.

The Numbers Speak for Themselves

While the brand is fairly new to the franchise space, having only started its initial expansion in 2017, Layne’s has seen impressive growth and shows no signs of stopping.

This growth trajectory bodes well for potential franchisees, making now a great time to get involved. As 70% of the brand’s traffic comes from drive-thru or delivery, Layne’s fared well during the pandemic, with 40% year-over-year sales growth, and the brand has continued to expand ever since. 

At the end of 2021, the brand’s average unit volume of corporate stores was nearly $1.5 million, with eight operating locations and three prospective franchisees in the pipeline. 

In January 2022, Layne’s introduced spicy chicken offerings to its menu, which soon came to account for over 20% of sales. They also saw a 7% increase in average unit volume, with an increase in interested franchisees in the pipeline. The average gross revenue of four franchised locations disclosed in the brand’s 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) was $1,369,176.

Now, as the brand looks forward to 2024, it has around 15 more restaurants on deck, making for an impressive 100% year-over-year growth rate. 

The combination of Layne’s small-town atmosphere and quality comfort food has built the brand a loyal fan base. This and the support provided by the brand for franchisees makes Layne’s a unique and tempting opportunity for potential franchise owners. 

Franchise opportunities with Layne’s currently range from $545,000 to $1,190,000, depending on the selected buildout option. The brand is looking to grow throughout the country and will concentrate on Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona.

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