With nearly 20 open restaurants and hundreds more in development, Layne’s Chicken Fingers — the Soon to be FamousTM chicken finger franchise — has seen rapid growth in recent years. Franchisees are flocking to the brand to join the expansion with hopes of offering high-quality chicken finger meals and great, friendly service to their communities.
“As we grow, we’re being especially cautious about who we bring into the system,” said Samir Wattar, chief operating officer. “Our franchise owners have to have the capital and drive necessary to succeed with Layne’s, but that’s not all. We’re focused on protecting both the brand and our existing franchisees as we grow, and to do that, we’ve adopted a unique evaluation process that allows us to truly get to know the prospective owner and make sure they’re really going to mesh well with our system and structure.”
Here’s what it takes to become a part of the Layne’s franchise system:
Franchisees may follow a variety of paths to Layne’s, but there’s a common set of initial steps once they discover the brand.
“We were introduced to Layne’s through our real estate agent, who just happened to know Garrett [Reed] through other professional ventures,” said Taylor Thomas, a multi-brand, multi-unit franchisee in Texas. “We were sitting at lunch trying to figure out what would be our next best step, and he said, ‘What about Layne’s?’ So we decided to stop by a location to experience it.”
At this point, Thomas experienced the great food, friendly service and laid-back atmosphere firsthand, and he was intrigued. So, he reached out to the corporate team.
“I sent in an inquiry, and I think I got a call from Samir the next week,” he said. “We talked about everything that I was looking for, and it seemed to really jibe with their game plan, so we moved forward.”
The discovery process is a deeper dive into the brand. Layne’s schedules an introductory call or meeting where interested parties meet with the leadership team. This is an essential opportunity for candidates to learn about the brand's history, vision, operational approach and franchisee expectations.
Candidates gain insight into daily operations, company culture and the key differentiators that set Layne’s apart. Layne’s is committed to maintaining its reputation for quality and consistency, so this step is critical to ensure the potential franchisee feels connected to the brand's mission and core values.
Thomas, who has plenty of experience in the restaurant space, knew what questions to ask.
“I was in different restaurants probably four to five times a week throughout the whole process just to make sure I really had a feel for the brand, but I also brought Garrett and his whole team down to our office,” Thomas said. “My team asked the Layne’s team lots of questions, and just watching that interaction made me even more comfortable. There were times where I felt like we were interviewing them more than they were interviewing us, but they were comfortable and ready to answer our questions.”
“We see the development process as a two-way conversation, and we welcome those interactions,” Wattar said. “It’s just as important that the franchisee feels comfortable with us as we feel comfortable with them. This needs to be a true partnership with shared goals, and having a dynamic conversation about experience, plans and goals helps us find our best matches.”
During the due diligence process, it is important that a franchisee receives an up-to-date copy of the Franchise Disclosure Document. This document outlines key pieces of information like details on the initial investment, historical financial performance, leadership team and experience, and recent unit openings and closings. Once a prospective franchisee receives the Layne’s FDD, there is a mandatory two-week waiting period.
During this time, the franchisee can think through the opportunity, cost, support and potential return on investment. Many franchisees will engage a franchise attorney during this process to ensure they fully understand the facts before making a commitment.
If everything is aligned to this point, Layne’s invites qualified candidates to attend a Discovery Day. During this event, candidates visit Layne’s headquarters and one of its operational locations to experience the brand in action.
This event is an invaluable opportunity for candidates to observe how Layne’s upholds its high standards in real-world settings, as well as meet existing franchisees and gain practical insights into what it’s like to run a Layne’s Chicken Fingers restaurant.
During this stage, prospective franchisees also receive the contact information of existing Layne’s owners. This way, they can call current owners directly and gather additional information and firsthand perspective on what it really means to be a Layne’s owner.
“I spoke to three or four other franchisees about their experience with Layne’s,” said Jake Willett, the franchisee bringing Layne’s to Arkansas. “I spent some time with other franchisees who were already operational just to really see the brand through the eyes of someone who is doing this work every day. Whenever I went to the restaurants and saw what they were doing and how they were doing it, I made up my mind almost immediately.”
According to Willett, this step in the process was especially important for him as it solidified just how careful Layne’s is with the selection process. “Speaking with existing franchisees was an enormous thing for me,” he said. “Layne’s does a great job of selecting the people they want to represent the brand, and that gave me a tremendous amount of confidence to know that the quality of franchisees in the system is far superior to other brands. For example, my territory will back right up to Taylor’s, and knowing that someone will have an equally good experience at a corporate restaurant, one of Taylor’s restaurants or one of my restaurants is very reassuring.”
“After both parties have had a chance to get to know each other and we’re all confident in the decision to grow together, we can sign the franchise agreement,” Wattar said. “Then, we begin the development process.”
The agreement formalizes the relationship, outlining the terms, financial commitments, operational standards and territorial rights. At this point, the franchisee officially becomes part of the Layne’s family, gaining access to the brand’s resources, training and ongoing support.
“Whenever you go through this kind of process, you have to follow your gut,” Willett said. “You go with who you believe is going to be the best fit moving forward, and there hasn’t been one day that I’ve looked back and questioned my decision. Everything that Layne’s told me they were going to do, not only have they done it but they’ve exceeded expectations.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers.
Layne's Chicken Fingers
SPONSORED
From first learning of the brand through the early stages of development, the entire Layne’s team is available to support you in your discovery and build the foundation for long-term success.
With nearly 20 open restaurants and hundreds more in development, Layne’s Chicken Fingers — the Soon to be FamousTM chicken finger franchise — has seen rapid growth in recent years. Franchisees are flocking to the brand to join the expansion with hopes of offering high-quality chicken finger meals and great, friendly service to their communities.
“As we grow, we’re being especially cautious about who we bring into the system,” said Samir Wattar, chief operating officer. “Our franchise owners have to have the capital and drive necessary to succeed with Layne’s, but that’s not all. We’re focused on protecting both the brand and our existing franchisees as we grow, and to do that, we’ve adopted a unique evaluation process that allows us to truly get to know the prospective owner and make sure they’re really going to mesh well with our system and structure.”
Here’s what it takes to become a part of the Layne’s franchise system:
Franchisees may follow a variety of paths to Layne’s, but there’s a common set of initial steps once they discover the brand.
“We were introduced to Layne’s through our real estate agent, who just happened to know Garrett [Reed] through other professional ventures,” said Taylor Thomas, a multi-brand, multi-unit franchisee in Texas. “We were sitting at lunch trying to figure out what would be our next best step, and he said, ‘What about Layne’s?’ So we decided to stop by a location to experience it.”
At this point, Thomas experienced the great food, friendly service and laid-back atmosphere firsthand, and he was intrigued. So, he reached out to the corporate team.
“I sent in an inquiry, and I think I got a call from Samir the next week,” he said. “We talked about everything that I was looking for, and it seemed to really jibe with their game plan, so we moved forward.”
The discovery process is a deeper dive into the brand. Layne’s schedules an introductory call or meeting where interested parties meet with the leadership team. This is an essential opportunity for candidates to learn about the brand's history, vision, operational approach and franchisee expectations.
Candidates gain insight into daily operations, company culture and the key differentiators that set Layne’s apart. Layne’s is committed to maintaining its reputation for quality and consistency, so this step is critical to ensure the potential franchisee feels connected to the brand's mission and core values.
Thomas, who has plenty of experience in the restaurant space, knew what questions to ask.
“I was in different restaurants probably four to five times a week throughout the whole process just to make sure I really had a feel for the brand, but I also brought Garrett and his whole team down to our office,” Thomas said. “My team asked the Layne’s team lots of questions, and just watching that interaction made me even more comfortable. There were times where I felt like we were interviewing them more than they were interviewing us, but they were comfortable and ready to answer our questions.”
“We see the development process as a two-way conversation, and we welcome those interactions,” Wattar said. “It’s just as important that the franchisee feels comfortable with us as we feel comfortable with them. This needs to be a true partnership with shared goals, and having a dynamic conversation about experience, plans and goals helps us find our best matches.”
During the due diligence process, it is important that a franchisee receives an up-to-date copy of the Franchise Disclosure Document. This document outlines key pieces of information like details on the initial investment, historical financial performance, leadership team and experience, and recent unit openings and closings. Once a prospective franchisee receives the Layne’s FDD, there is a mandatory two-week waiting period.
During this time, the franchisee can think through the opportunity, cost, support and potential return on investment. Many franchisees will engage a franchise attorney during this process to ensure they fully understand the facts before making a commitment.
If everything is aligned to this point, Layne’s invites qualified candidates to attend a Discovery Day. During this event, candidates visit Layne’s headquarters and one of its operational locations to experience the brand in action.
This event is an invaluable opportunity for candidates to observe how Layne’s upholds its high standards in real-world settings, as well as meet existing franchisees and gain practical insights into what it’s like to run a Layne’s Chicken Fingers restaurant.
During this stage, prospective franchisees also receive the contact information of existing Layne’s owners. This way, they can call current owners directly and gather additional information and firsthand perspective on what it really means to be a Layne’s owner.
“I spoke to three or four other franchisees about their experience with Layne’s,” said Jake Willett, the franchisee bringing Layne’s to Arkansas. “I spent some time with other franchisees who were already operational just to really see the brand through the eyes of someone who is doing this work every day. Whenever I went to the restaurants and saw what they were doing and how they were doing it, I made up my mind almost immediately.”
According to Willett, this step in the process was especially important for him as it solidified just how careful Layne’s is with the selection process. “Speaking with existing franchisees was an enormous thing for me,” he said. “Layne’s does a great job of selecting the people they want to represent the brand, and that gave me a tremendous amount of confidence to know that the quality of franchisees in the system is far superior to other brands. For example, my territory will back right up to Taylor’s, and knowing that someone will have an equally good experience at a corporate restaurant, one of Taylor’s restaurants or one of my restaurants is very reassuring.”
“After both parties have had a chance to get to know each other and we’re all confident in the decision to grow together, we can sign the franchise agreement,” Wattar said. “Then, we begin the development process.”
The agreement formalizes the relationship, outlining the terms, financial commitments, operational standards and territorial rights. At this point, the franchisee officially becomes part of the Layne’s family, gaining access to the brand’s resources, training and ongoing support.
“Whenever you go through this kind of process, you have to follow your gut,” Willett said. “You go with who you believe is going to be the best fit moving forward, and there hasn’t been one day that I’ve looked back and questioned my decision. Everything that Layne’s told me they were going to do, not only have they done it but they’ve exceeded expectations.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers.
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