Mainland

For as long as I can remember, sports were the only thing I truly liked. I wasn’t even 7 years old when I watched, wide-eyed, as Vince Carter won the slam dunk contest in 2000. As a 12-year-old, I accidentally broke a lamp in my house celebrating as the White Sox won the World Series in 2005 (you’re not still mad about that right, Mom?).It’s kind of crazy that it took working at ESPN, the proclaimed 'Worldwide Leader in Sports', for me to come to the realization that it wasn’t actually the ‘sports’ part of sports that had moved me all of these years. Sure, I still have a deep affinity for baseball and basketball (and UFC, I’ve discovered), but my passion lies with storytelling.Poignant narratives reveal themselves in arenas other than just sports. That’s ultimately what led me to <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mainland">Mainland</a>. More on this later, but first, I’ve got a story to tell.Have you ever wondered who was responsible for the ticker that scrolls at the bottom of the screen? I didn’t. I never once gave a thought to the humans behind the crawling text. And then I was one.I was working a postgraduate internship for a United States Hockey League team in Chicago when I got the call saying I’d been invited to interview in person for a job at ESPN. They were flying me out to their Connecticut headquarters the day after I turned 22.The interview experience was a whirlwind. I left ESPN’s campus experience completely enamored by the idea of existing in a place with a hallway that played the fight song of every Division I college football team in the U.S, and also getting paid for it. I was offered the job, took it, and promptly moved to Connecticut, where I didn’t know a single soul.Our unique little BottomLine department within the Statistics and Information Group was made up of approximately 10 people and was staffed 20 hours a day, 7 days a week. Every day was different, from the news we reported to the sports we covered to the people we covered them with.The first year was a blur. I was always learning something new. Holly Holm knocked out Ronda Rousey. My weekends were Tuesdays and Wednesdays. LeBron James blocked Andre Iguodala’s shot in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. I discovered that there is a real person in this world who can name the player who made the final out of every World Series in baseball history (here’s to you, Mark Simon). The Cubs broke some pathetic century-long curse associated with a goat that, unbeknownst to me at the time, made my current CEO very, very happy.All of this was enthralling. I was collaborating with incredibly knowledgeable people to educate and entertain the masses. Playing a small role in putting words to such indescribable moments was a faraway dream come true. Yet as sports seasons came and went, the stories that mattered to me were becoming less and less visible on our platform. Social media fodder outweighed hard sports journalism. Gambling lines took precedence over stat lines.While I loved the subject matter of my work, I wasn’t telling stories the way I wanted to be, or even the way I thought I could be despite the time and space constraints of that scrolling ticker of which I'd grown so fond. I looked elsewhere within the mothership for something that felt like it aligned with the sense of fulfillment I was seeking in my work, even though I couldn’t yet articulate what I wanted that to look like. All I knew, and all I know, was that I’m at my best when I’m learning and being challenged. And I wasn’t getting that from what I was doing anymore.So, I stood in defiance to my own sense of obligation and made a change. I packed everything that could fit into my Jeep Patriot with the crank windows and drove back to Chicago terrified, yet hopeful.It took some time for that hopefulness to manifest itself in the form of Mainland. For a while, I thought working in sports media was my only path to remaining engaged in my everyday duties, but exploring <a href="https://1851franchise.com/the-greatest-way-to-grow-your-brand-is-to-create-a-voice-6274">what it meant to hunt for stories on behalf of different clients</a> quickly convinced me to open my mind to the idea of something beyond the conventional path indicated by my résumé. Once I met the team and heard Mainland’s approach to storytelling, I was captivated. The viewing of a story from 30,000 feet up in order to better connect its many parts gave words to everything I’d been seeking and hadn’t found in my previous role.Since joining the Mainland’s content team, I’ve had the opportunity to tell some stories that I’m incredibly proud of. I’ve interviewed <a href="https://estatenvy.com/details/689/Karen-Kalmek-Champions-Sustainability-at-Green-Home-Chicago?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-i-left-espn-to-create-content-for-mainland-2709323" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">inspiring entrepreneurs</a> and <a href="https://1851franchise.com/hungry-howie-s-ascension-to-legacy-brand-status-2709114">savvy marketers</a>. I spend my days collaborating with a team of brilliant writers who are always willing and able to help me find the exact word or phrase that’s escaping me any given moment.Taking the time to venture beyond the surface-level connections that afflict my generation at every turn – through long-form writing, in different voices, on different platforms – brings a sense of purpose to my work. And as much as I’m driven by the responsibility and care each story I tell requires, the talented people I’m surrounded by at Mainland are my main motivation to grow here. The office beer tap doesn’t hurt, either.

Why I Left ESPN to Create Content for Mainland

1851 Franchise

I thought I liked sports. It turns out it was really storytelling all along.

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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