Doug McGuire, a long-time entrepreneur, began his franchise journey with H&R Block nearly 30 years ago. After consistent operations, McGuire and his family made the decision to diversify their portfolio and took the leap into the restaurant space with Arby’s nearly 20 years ago. Again, the business brought steady success, but as the family grew and began to saturate their market, they needed to further diversify.
“Growth for Arby’s in Ohio has slowed because the market is quite saturated,” McGuire said. “I wanted to keep growing, which meant looking for a new brand.”
McGuire recognized the potential of the booming chicken market, specifically noting that chicken appeals to all ages and demographics, and began exploring opportunities in the space.
Within the chicken market, McGuire was quickly drawn to Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the Texas “Born and Breaded” chicken finger franchise. And after visiting Texas to try the chicken fingers for himself, he knew the brand had real potential.
“The product is great,” McGuire said. “I believe it’s a superior product compared to competitors, and it just needs more notoriety and exposure.”
Layne’s is also in a unique growth stage, which appealed to McGuire as well. With a highly experienced leadership team, McGuire knew Layne’s could offer the structures and support necessary to drive growth. However, because the brand is still relatively young in the franchise space, there is plenty of potential, specifically in the North Central Ohio market.
“Having been involved with two different franchise models previously, I've come to appreciate that franchising takes a lot of the guesswork out. They've already developed a proven model, so you don't have to reinvent the wheel,” he said. “What excites me most is the opportunity to grow within my area and expand into a large market with a good product.”
By bringing Layne’s to North Central Ohio, McGuire is filling a gap in the market that Arby’s doesn’t address, and he’s doing it with a brand that offers plenty of runway for meaningful scale in a market where legacy brands have already peaked.
While he’s moving into a new segment within the restaurant industry, McGuire is sticking with the systems and models that have defined his nearly 30 years of entrepreneurial success. Hey says a strong franchisor can remove the guesswork that comes with independent business ownership and provide a blueprint that allows for quick, healthy growth.
“I wanted to stay within the franchise model because it has worked well for me so far, and I don’t really want to start an independent business from scratch,” he said.
In addition to the business model, McGuire felt a strong draw to the brand’s leadership and culture. While Layne’s is growing rapidly, its leadership team is committed to protecting the brand and protecting the franchisee, maintaining the family-like culture that has driven a unique Layne’s experience throughout the lifetime of the brand.
“I also connected with the Layne's team, which felt like a very small, family-oriented team,” McGuire said. “This aligns with my own background.”
This family culture was also a key consideration as McGuire thought about the future of the business. While his development agreement is a smart addition to both his portfolio and the local restaurant landscape, it also lays a foundation for McGuire to begin building a deep family legacy.
McGuire says he anticipates at least a couple of his five children will come back to work in the business, and it will span generations.
In the early stages, he’s focused on a strong start in the North Central Ohio market.
“I’d like to have 10 [Layne’s] open tomorrow if I could,” he said. “I’m simply very excited about this partnership and eager to get some stores open. I believe Layne’s will be well-received in the areas I’m targeting, and the product is excellent. I have no hesitation with the brand or the product.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers.
Layne's Chicken Fingers
SPONSORED
With Arby’s growth opportunities nearly maxed out in North Central Ohio, Doug McGuire chose the rapidly growing chicken finger franchise to support his leap into a new segment.
Doug McGuire, a long-time entrepreneur, began his franchise journey with H&R Block nearly 30 years ago. After consistent operations, McGuire and his family made the decision to diversify their portfolio and took the leap into the restaurant space with Arby’s nearly 20 years ago. Again, the business brought steady success, but as the family grew and began to saturate their market, they needed to further diversify.
“Growth for Arby’s in Ohio has slowed because the market is quite saturated,” McGuire said. “I wanted to keep growing, which meant looking for a new brand.”
McGuire recognized the potential of the booming chicken market, specifically noting that chicken appeals to all ages and demographics, and began exploring opportunities in the space.
Within the chicken market, McGuire was quickly drawn to Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the Texas “Born and Breaded” chicken finger franchise. And after visiting Texas to try the chicken fingers for himself, he knew the brand had real potential.
“The product is great,” McGuire said. “I believe it’s a superior product compared to competitors, and it just needs more notoriety and exposure.”
Layne’s is also in a unique growth stage, which appealed to McGuire as well. With a highly experienced leadership team, McGuire knew Layne’s could offer the structures and support necessary to drive growth. However, because the brand is still relatively young in the franchise space, there is plenty of potential, specifically in the North Central Ohio market.
“Having been involved with two different franchise models previously, I've come to appreciate that franchising takes a lot of the guesswork out. They've already developed a proven model, so you don't have to reinvent the wheel,” he said. “What excites me most is the opportunity to grow within my area and expand into a large market with a good product.”
By bringing Layne’s to North Central Ohio, McGuire is filling a gap in the market that Arby’s doesn’t address, and he’s doing it with a brand that offers plenty of runway for meaningful scale in a market where legacy brands have already peaked.
While he’s moving into a new segment within the restaurant industry, McGuire is sticking with the systems and models that have defined his nearly 30 years of entrepreneurial success. Hey says a strong franchisor can remove the guesswork that comes with independent business ownership and provide a blueprint that allows for quick, healthy growth.
“I wanted to stay within the franchise model because it has worked well for me so far, and I don’t really want to start an independent business from scratch,” he said.
In addition to the business model, McGuire felt a strong draw to the brand’s leadership and culture. While Layne’s is growing rapidly, its leadership team is committed to protecting the brand and protecting the franchisee, maintaining the family-like culture that has driven a unique Layne’s experience throughout the lifetime of the brand.
“I also connected with the Layne's team, which felt like a very small, family-oriented team,” McGuire said. “This aligns with my own background.”
This family culture was also a key consideration as McGuire thought about the future of the business. While his development agreement is a smart addition to both his portfolio and the local restaurant landscape, it also lays a foundation for McGuire to begin building a deep family legacy.
McGuire says he anticipates at least a couple of his five children will come back to work in the business, and it will span generations.
In the early stages, he’s focused on a strong start in the North Central Ohio market.
“I’d like to have 10 [Layne’s] open tomorrow if I could,” he said. “I’m simply very excited about this partnership and eager to get some stores open. I believe Layne’s will be well-received in the areas I’m targeting, and the product is excellent. I have no hesitation with the brand or the product.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers.
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