Anyone who has spent time in College Station, Texas, likely recognizes Layne’s Chicken Fingers as an iconic local name. The now-rapidly growing chicken finger franchise was “Born and Breaded” in College Station in 1994, starting as a favorite local spot for students. With its small-town charm and friendly service, Layne’s became a legend for Texas A&M students long before it began taking over Texas and expanding into additional states nationwide. To this day, Layne’s maintains a cult-like following, with people getting married in Layne’s shirts, former Layne’s diners becoming franchisees to bring the brand to their own communities, and A&M graduates flocking to local restaurants when they return for football games and alumni events.
Masroor Fatany, a 2008 Texas A&M graduate, was keenly aware of Layne’s market position and differentiators when he became the brand’s first franchisee, but his franchise journey started long before he considered Layne’s as an opportunity.
After about a year spent working as an auditor at Ernst & Young, Fatany decided to take a chance on franchising with Sears Garage Doors. He knew the franchise model would offer support and brand recognition that would drive success, and it offered a smooth transition to business ownership.
Nearly a decade later, Fatany began considering diversification. Coincidentally, he found his way to a Halal Guys restaurant in New York — thanks to a recommendation from Siri.
“Siri was kind of new back then, and I asked, ‘What’s the best place to eat in New York City?’ It said, ‘The Halal Guys on 53rd and 6th.’ We ended up there, loved it and asked them about franchising,” Fatany said. “A year later, we became franchisees. When we opened the doors in Houston, Texas, there was a four-hour line. Around that time, I decided to sell Sears because gyros and garage doors didn’t have much in common. I wanted to focus on what had the longest runway.”
As he was growing with The Halal Guys, Fatany also kept his eye on Layne’s.
“I had been following Layne’s for a long time, and I kept asking them to franchise,” he said. “They weren’t sure if they wanted to franchise the Houston market, but I took a flight to Dallas to discuss the possibilities with them.”
Fatany’s persistence, passion for the brand and proven success as a multi-unit franchisee made him a great candidate to be Layne’s first franchisee. But, for him, the opportunity to invest was about more than business; this was an opportunity to invest in a brand Fatany truly believed in, and one that boasted a built-in fanbase anywhere Aggies were present.
“Layne’s started at Texas A&M, which now has an undergraduate student body of over 60,000 in attendance,” Fatany said. “That’s a huge number of people building an affinity for the brand each academic year, and it only makes the Layne’s brand stronger.”
In addition to everything Fatany already knew and loved about Layne’s, his meeting with the leadership team shed light on another key component of an investment opportunity — the partnership aspect.
For Fatany, the deciding factor was a corporate team he could trust. His previous franchising experience showed him how critical the franchisee-franchisor relationship is, and he believed a solid foundation would be key to his success with Layne’s.
“It is absolutely vital to find a corporate team you are compatible with, and one that showcases franchisee support,” he said. “It will be tough to succeed without a great relationship with the corporate team.”
Layne’s corporate team, which focuses on servant leadership and a culture of support and transparency with franchisees, checked this box. As he has grown, Fatany says this commitment to shared success has been steadfast.
“The team shows a genuine interest in franchisee profitability, and that’s a key piece for me,” Fatany said. “They’ve told me no to real estate deals, for example; that’s rare in franchising. With other franchisors, it can feel like they’re just trying to get another unit open. Layne’s is different.”
When Fatany first signed on with Layne’s, he agreed to open five locations in the Houston area, bringing the Aggie favorite to his own community. His first location, which opened in June 2021, was an immediate success, earning an overwhelmingly positive response from the community and proving the power of the Layne’s brand, even beyond its hometown.
There was similar excitement for Fatany’s Beaumont location, which opened across the street from a major competitor.
“When we opened that location, we were the talk of the town in Facebook groups and on the local news. We had a really long line,” he said. “That location is directly across the street from a [Raising] Cane’s, and seeing a huge line of cars waiting for us when there is a respectable competitor right across the street made us feel good. We knew we were bringing a really great product to the market, and the response from the community was proof that we were really on to something.”
Since opening his first location in 2021, Fatany has opened seven total restaurants, and he has another four in development. He has expanded to stadiums and drive-thru-only locations, in addition to stand-alone locations, demonstrating the versatility of the brand and illustrating how the magic of Layne’s, which lies largely in the food itself and high level of service, can capture the attention of the communities it enters, regardless of format or nearby competitors.
In franchising, the product is an important part of the equation, but the foundation for true, long-term success requires a strong franchisee-franchisor partnership and a brand identity that can shine in the markets it enters. Fatany saw Layne’s unique product and branding during his time as a student at Texas A&M and, as he grew as an entrepreneur, he came to recognize the partnership aspect too. By bringing these crucial elements together, Fatany found the perfect recipe for business expansion as he grew a College Station legend into a Houston-area powerhouse.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers.
Layne's Chicken Fingers
SPONSORED
Masroor Fatany turned his love for the College Station staple into a booming, multi-unit business venture, bringing the Soon to be FamousTM concept to his Houston community.
Anyone who has spent time in College Station, Texas, likely recognizes Layne’s Chicken Fingers as an iconic local name. The now-rapidly growing chicken finger franchise was “Born and Breaded” in College Station in 1994, starting as a favorite local spot for students. With its small-town charm and friendly service, Layne’s became a legend for Texas A&M students long before it began taking over Texas and expanding into additional states nationwide. To this day, Layne’s maintains a cult-like following, with people getting married in Layne’s shirts, former Layne’s diners becoming franchisees to bring the brand to their own communities, and A&M graduates flocking to local restaurants when they return for football games and alumni events.
Masroor Fatany, a 2008 Texas A&M graduate, was keenly aware of Layne’s market position and differentiators when he became the brand’s first franchisee, but his franchise journey started long before he considered Layne’s as an opportunity.
After about a year spent working as an auditor at Ernst & Young, Fatany decided to take a chance on franchising with Sears Garage Doors. He knew the franchise model would offer support and brand recognition that would drive success, and it offered a smooth transition to business ownership.
Nearly a decade later, Fatany began considering diversification. Coincidentally, he found his way to a Halal Guys restaurant in New York — thanks to a recommendation from Siri.
“Siri was kind of new back then, and I asked, ‘What’s the best place to eat in New York City?’ It said, ‘The Halal Guys on 53rd and 6th.’ We ended up there, loved it and asked them about franchising,” Fatany said. “A year later, we became franchisees. When we opened the doors in Houston, Texas, there was a four-hour line. Around that time, I decided to sell Sears because gyros and garage doors didn’t have much in common. I wanted to focus on what had the longest runway.”
As he was growing with The Halal Guys, Fatany also kept his eye on Layne’s.
“I had been following Layne’s for a long time, and I kept asking them to franchise,” he said. “They weren’t sure if they wanted to franchise the Houston market, but I took a flight to Dallas to discuss the possibilities with them.”
Fatany’s persistence, passion for the brand and proven success as a multi-unit franchisee made him a great candidate to be Layne’s first franchisee. But, for him, the opportunity to invest was about more than business; this was an opportunity to invest in a brand Fatany truly believed in, and one that boasted a built-in fanbase anywhere Aggies were present.
“Layne’s started at Texas A&M, which now has an undergraduate student body of over 60,000 in attendance,” Fatany said. “That’s a huge number of people building an affinity for the brand each academic year, and it only makes the Layne’s brand stronger.”
In addition to everything Fatany already knew and loved about Layne’s, his meeting with the leadership team shed light on another key component of an investment opportunity — the partnership aspect.
For Fatany, the deciding factor was a corporate team he could trust. His previous franchising experience showed him how critical the franchisee-franchisor relationship is, and he believed a solid foundation would be key to his success with Layne’s.
“It is absolutely vital to find a corporate team you are compatible with, and one that showcases franchisee support,” he said. “It will be tough to succeed without a great relationship with the corporate team.”
Layne’s corporate team, which focuses on servant leadership and a culture of support and transparency with franchisees, checked this box. As he has grown, Fatany says this commitment to shared success has been steadfast.
“The team shows a genuine interest in franchisee profitability, and that’s a key piece for me,” Fatany said. “They’ve told me no to real estate deals, for example; that’s rare in franchising. With other franchisors, it can feel like they’re just trying to get another unit open. Layne’s is different.”
When Fatany first signed on with Layne’s, he agreed to open five locations in the Houston area, bringing the Aggie favorite to his own community. His first location, which opened in June 2021, was an immediate success, earning an overwhelmingly positive response from the community and proving the power of the Layne’s brand, even beyond its hometown.
There was similar excitement for Fatany’s Beaumont location, which opened across the street from a major competitor.
“When we opened that location, we were the talk of the town in Facebook groups and on the local news. We had a really long line,” he said. “That location is directly across the street from a [Raising] Cane’s, and seeing a huge line of cars waiting for us when there is a respectable competitor right across the street made us feel good. We knew we were bringing a really great product to the market, and the response from the community was proof that we were really on to something.”
Since opening his first location in 2021, Fatany has opened seven total restaurants, and he has another four in development. He has expanded to stadiums and drive-thru-only locations, in addition to stand-alone locations, demonstrating the versatility of the brand and illustrating how the magic of Layne’s, which lies largely in the food itself and high level of service, can capture the attention of the communities it enters, regardless of format or nearby competitors.
In franchising, the product is an important part of the equation, but the foundation for true, long-term success requires a strong franchisee-franchisor partnership and a brand identity that can shine in the markets it enters. Fatany saw Layne’s unique product and branding during his time as a student at Texas A&M and, as he grew as an entrepreneur, he came to recognize the partnership aspect too. By bringing these crucial elements together, Fatany found the perfect recipe for business expansion as he grew a College Station legend into a Houston-area powerhouse.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers.
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