Mainland

It wasn’t until halfway through college that Lauren Moorman, Vice President at <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mainland/what-is-mainland-put-simply-the-future-of-storytelling-2709717">Mainland</a>, decided she wanted to get into the field of public relations. Having been in AP Spanish classes throughout high school, she had initially decided to become an international business major at Illinois State University as a way to turn that passion for Spanish into a career.During her sophomore year, &nbsp;Moorman received an unlikely source of inspiration to look into another field of work. “I was inspired to get into PR after watching the movie America's Sweetheart,” said Moorman, with a laugh. “I wish this was a joke but it's real. Billy Crystal and Julia Roberts play publicists in the movie (to movie stars John Cusack and Catherine Zeta Jones, respectively) and their jobs looked so fun. I signed up to take an intro to PR class and was hooked. I realized it was the perfect major that utilized my outgoing personality, comfort with public speaking and love of writing.”From there, Moorman decided to double major in Spanish and Public Relations, staying on after to earn her Master's Degree in Communication with a PR emphasis.It wasn’t long after graduating that Moorman got her first full-time job in PR. “I started my career at a PR agency in the Chicago suburbs,” said Moorman. “There, I met Nick Powills, now the Founder and CEO of Mainland. We were on the same team -- I was an AE and he was an account manager &nbsp;when I started -- and worked on a lot of accounts together, and even shared an office.”After leaving that first job , Moorman joined a boutique agency called XA, The Experiential Agency, where she did PR for local bars, restaurants, fashion boutiques and similar businesses.“I took a job with one of my clients at the time, Martini Park, as Marketing Director for a brief stint before going to CouponCabin to get back into PR,” said Moorman. “There, I hired No Limit Agency, now Mainland, and believe I was the first non-franchise client.”However, in working with Powills during her first role, little did Moorman know that they would once again end up working together down the road.“It's funny, at the time, I would have never thought I would end up working for Nick, though in hindsight, our skill sets match perfectly,” said Moorman. “We worked great together, and became good friends pretty much immediately, and stayed friends after I left the agency. He later left as well and I was in the front row for his journey to becoming a business owner.”Back in 2013, Moorman actually hired Powills and Mainland a second time to support her with holiday pitching. <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mainland/six-years-later-lauren-turner-still-lives-to-tell-2709322#category">Lauren Turner (then Kaminski)</a>, was Moorman’s account manager for the project at the time, and she got to know some of the team members and learn about Powills’&nbsp;approach to PR. For years, Powills and Moorman had been talking about her joining the company, and in June of 2014, it all came to fruition.“Nick was still managing so much of the day-to-day work in the agency and needed someone to come in and help take that stuff over so he could focus on growth,” said Moorman. “I was excited to help organize the operations and how we serviced our clients, and he had a team of hardworking people that needed some support.”Moorman has played a pivotal role in the content and growth of Mainland’s editorial websites including <a href="https://1851franchise.com/">1851 Franchise</a> and <a href="https://estatenvy.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-a-friendship-with-a-coworker-at-age-24-led-me-to-mainland-2710042" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ESTATENVY</a>. 1851 Franchise focuses on overall trends within the franchise industry, and more. ESTATENVY has a focus on the home -- and several more publications are set to launch in the next few months.“Writing has always been a passion of mine,” said Moorman. “Being able to run our editorial while still flexing my muscles on the public relations side of the business has been very rewarding. I work with an incredible team of writers and account managers and I am very proud of the work we are able to produce across the board for our clients.”A big part of Moorman’s role, as well as the team at Mainland, centers around educating brands on how to best maximize content, whether that be through tactics such as social media sharing, or paid amplification behind stories in key target markets.“Our client’s success is our biggest concern,” said Moorman. “It’s a big part of what drives us here at Mainland and I couldn’t be happier with the decision I made to be here. It’s funny how things work out sometimes. In my case, a friendship turned into an opportunity for me to really make a difference in a career that I love.”&nbsp;

How a Friendship With a Coworker at Age 24 Led Me to Mainland

1851 Franchise

Lauren Moorman dishes on what led her to the field of public relations and what brought her to Mainland. 

This brand page has been paid for by MAINLAND. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

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Scaling the Soon-to-Be Famous: How Layne’s Chicken Fingers Leveraged a Mainland Franchise Assessment to Fuel a 110% Growth Surge

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The chicken wars aren’t slowing down. If anything, the quick-service chicken category feels more crowded than ever, with brands battling for real estate, franchisees and customer loyalty. Some have hit a wall.&nbsp;<a href="https://layneschickenfranchising.com/">Layne’s Chicken Fingers</a> has not.&nbsp;In 2025, the Texas-founded Soon to Be Famous™ concept posted 110% footprint growth, doubling its restaurant count in a single year. For a brand that built its early following in College Station near Texas A&amp;M, the leap to national relevance has been swift — but it wasn’t accidental.Behind the expansion is a coordinated effort between Layne’s leadership and PR firm&nbsp;<a href="https://hellomainland.com/">Mainland</a>. The partnership blended operational discipline with sustained media visibility, giving the&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers/info">Layne’s</a> brand both the infrastructure and the spotlight needed to grow. With a focus on perfecting chicken fingers, fries and toast, the Layne’s menu is pretty straightforward. But the growth strategy employed was anything but casual.<h2>A Defining Year</h2>By the end of 2025, Layne’s had 40 restaurants open and 10 new franchise owners added to the system. Development momentum continued with a 44-unit agreement and a 15-unit expansion in Wisconsin, pushing the brand toward its ambitiously stated goal of 300 units by 2030.Those numbers quickly began attracting national attention. Layne’s secured the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/future-50-2025/laynes-chicken-fingers">No. 6 position</a> on the Restaurant Business 2025 Future 50 list and ranked No. 366 on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500">Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500</a>. Systemwide sales grew as well, climbing 67% to reach an impressive $30 million.For the Layne’s leadership team, the growth traces back to a clear philosophy: delicious food and franchise support above all else. Layne’s COO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/samir-wattar-0a4187a/">Samir Wattar</a> describes the company’s unique approach."Franchisees sign with us for services," he said. "That’s a mind shift because they run restaurants. Part of servicing franchisees is saying no to protect them and protect the brand. We’re building a support organization for a brand that we’re really passionate about."Layne’s treats franchisees as the primary customer. And it’s a mindset that shapes everything from operations to development strategy.<h2>Getting the Word Out Before the Doors Opened</h2>A central piece of Mainland’s approach was securing credible, third-party exposure. Rather than relying solely on traditional advertising, the focus was on great storytelling that would secure earned media in each new market.In Little Rock, Arkansas, Layne’s appeared on KARK-TV (CBS), where Director of Marketing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-reynolds-957a3151/">Ashley Reynolds</a> introduced local viewers to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kark.com/video/game-day-made-easy-with-layne%e2%80%99s-tailgate-packs/11136197/">brand’s tailgate packs</a>. In Oregon, KDRV-TV (ABC) profiled franchisee Dalton Dennis and his efforts to bring&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/laynes-chicken-fingers-dalton-dennis-southern-oregon-2730210">Layne’s to Grants Pass</a>. KWTX-TV (CBS) in Waco covered an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kwtx.com/2025/12/06/restaurant-report-card-waco-central-texas-12525/">upcoming opening in Lampasas</a>.At the national level, outlets such as QSR Magazine, Nation’s Restaurant News and Franchise Times ran deeper features on the brand’s culture and leadership, including coverage of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/cuyler-e-51047a2a/">Cuyler Esposito’s</a> appointment as vice president of culture and operations.&nbsp;For prospective operators, this kind of coverage signals more than enthusiasm for the brand. It signifies organizational maturity.<h2>Turning Attention Into Traffic</h2>The real impact of that media push showed up at store openings.In Virginia, a franchisee reportedly opened without spending on traditional marketing. As a result of Mainland’s marketing efforts,&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers/laynes-chicken-fingers-franchise-six-figure-opening-2729437#stories">opening day traffic backed up onto the highway</a>. Local news coverage had already introduced the brand to the community and explained what made it different.That kind of momentum carries weight beyond consumer traffic. For potential franchisees, seeing a brand featured in Restaurant Business, or highlighted on local television, reinforces confidence. Visibility suggests stability. Stability supports multi-unit decisions.<h2>More Than a Vendor Relationship</h2>Wattar has worked with Mainland across three different concepts. He describes the relationship as long-term and built on trust rather than transaction."They’ve been there for me through thick and thin," Wattar said. "They’ve been there when things are bad and helped me out of it. And they’ve been there for me when things are good and helped me celebrate. I’ve never had the intention of looking elsewhere. The most important thing is having the relationship with the person you’re dealing with and building that trust."Layne’s sets development targets each year: how many restaurants to open, how many franchisees to bring on. And Mainland has become a significant part of that strategic conversation."I’m not an expert in getting leads or PR. But I know how to sell and I believe in our brand," Wattar said. "I rely on Mainland to come up with the ideas. ‘How am I going to achieve my goal?’"<h2>Scaling With Structure</h2>As Layne’s pushes toward 2026 and beyond, the company views public relations and media exposure as part of the scaffolding that supports growth. National expansion requires more than signed agreements. It requires awareness in markets where the brand name might still be unfamiliar. And Mainland can help.The investment to open a Layne’s Chicken Fingers franchise ranges from $451,500 to $1,050,000. For many operators, that figure represents years of saving, planning and personal commitment. It’s something Layne’s Chicken Fingers not only understands but embraces, supporting franchisees at the local level which helps further scale the brand."To us, it’s a job. To them, it’s a livelihood," Wattar said. "The restaurant business has evolved, but the fundamentals haven’t changed. Service. Transparency. Be open. Franchisees are your bread and butter. They’re making the investment. We have to listen to them.”Layne’s growth story isn’t built solely on a hot category or a trending menu item. It’s built on disciplined operations, selective franchise development and a steady drumbeat of visibility in the markets it enters.For brands hoping to follow a similar path, the lesson is straightforward: growth requires both a strong internal foundation and a clear external voice. When those two move in sync, a regional favorite can begin to look like a national contender. And a&nbsp;<a href="https://hellomainland.com/company/#our-services">Mainland franchise assessment</a> can help deliver strategic growth.Growing and selling franchises is difficult. Want to learn more about how 1851 helps franchisors grow their franchises with confidence? Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.1851growthclub.com">www.1851growthclub.com</a> and see what we can do for you.

The rapidly expanding chicken concept used expert operational insights and earned media placements to secure a landmark 44-unit deal and double its restaurant footprint in a single year.

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