After nearly three decades with Wendy’s, Ricki Oberoi is branching out with Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the rapidly growing chicken finger franchise. Oberoi steadily grew with Wendy’s through both organic expansion and acquisitions before he began considering diversification.
“We were searching for other products and a brand that would be compatible with Wendy’s and allow us to operate two brands,” Oberoi said. “I came across Layne’s after I fell asleep on my sofa watching TV. My youngest son woke me up and said, ‘Try this.’ I was half asleep, but I ate it. The next morning I said, ‘That was really good! What was it?’ When he told me it was Layne’s, I knew I had seen them around town and heard that they were Soon to be FamousTM.”
Oberoi says he was “fascinated by the product,” especially impressed by the quality of the chicken and the fact that the fries weren’t mealy, and decided to reach out to the corporate team.
The decision was quick. After speaking more with the leadership team, learning about Layne’s key differentiators — like its spicy offering and halal chicken — and conducting multiple independent tests of local Layne’s, Oberoi was confident in his choice. He signed a 12-unit development agreement within 90 days of first trying Layne’s.
“I’m most excited about Layne’s tenacity and desire to grow,” he said. “Chicken is a big protein with consumers — even more than beef now — so there’s a lot of opportunity. The focus on quality is important, and the simplicity of the operations is great.”
Now, Oberoi is working to secure real estate for his first restaurant in the Rio Grande Valley area, with plans to open mid-2026.
“As we’ve continued our quick expansion, identifying partners in the remaining markets in our home state has remained a focus point,” said Layne’s Chief Operating Officer Samir Wattar. “However, we knew we needed to find the right people. Ricki is a strong operator who shares our vision for the future of the brand, and we’re excited to have him representing Layne’s in the Valley.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers.
Layne's Chicken Fingers
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After nearly three decades and dozens of Wendy’s restaurants in operation, Ricki Oberoi has signed a 12-unit development deal to grow Layne’s Texas presence in the Rio Grande Valley.
After nearly three decades with Wendy’s, Ricki Oberoi is branching out with Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the rapidly growing chicken finger franchise. Oberoi steadily grew with Wendy’s through both organic expansion and acquisitions before he began considering diversification.
“We were searching for other products and a brand that would be compatible with Wendy’s and allow us to operate two brands,” Oberoi said. “I came across Layne’s after I fell asleep on my sofa watching TV. My youngest son woke me up and said, ‘Try this.’ I was half asleep, but I ate it. The next morning I said, ‘That was really good! What was it?’ When he told me it was Layne’s, I knew I had seen them around town and heard that they were Soon to be FamousTM.”
Oberoi says he was “fascinated by the product,” especially impressed by the quality of the chicken and the fact that the fries weren’t mealy, and decided to reach out to the corporate team.
The decision was quick. After speaking more with the leadership team, learning about Layne’s key differentiators — like its spicy offering and halal chicken — and conducting multiple independent tests of local Layne’s, Oberoi was confident in his choice. He signed a 12-unit development agreement within 90 days of first trying Layne’s.
“I’m most excited about Layne’s tenacity and desire to grow,” he said. “Chicken is a big protein with consumers — even more than beef now — so there’s a lot of opportunity. The focus on quality is important, and the simplicity of the operations is great.”
Now, Oberoi is working to secure real estate for his first restaurant in the Rio Grande Valley area, with plans to open mid-2026.
“As we’ve continued our quick expansion, identifying partners in the remaining markets in our home state has remained a focus point,” said Layne’s Chief Operating Officer Samir Wattar. “However, we knew we needed to find the right people. Ricki is a strong operator who shares our vision for the future of the brand, and we’re excited to have him representing Layne’s in the Valley.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers.
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