Top 25 Franchise Marketing Leaders: Natalie Hurley — Vice President of Marketing, Layne’s Chicken Fingers

Name: Natalie Hurley
Role: Vice President of Marketing
Brand: Layne’s Chicken Fingers*
Brand Website: https://layneschickenfranchising.com/ 

Driven by rapid national growth and a cult-like following in its home state of Texas, Layne’s Chicken Fingers is carving out a niche for itself in the crowded fast-food chicken space. Driving the brand’s marketing strategy is Natalie Hurley, who made the leap to Layne’s after recognizing the effect careful consumers were having on the luxury hospitality space.

As guests become increasingly focused on convenience and value, and Layne’s further expands its footprint, Hurley is leveraging the brand’s fun, unpretentious culture to drive awareness nationwide. With a focus on brand identity and a deep commitment to franchisee support, Hurley is positioning Layne’s for sustainable, national growth.

Q&A With Natalie Hurley, Vice President of Marketing, Layne’s Chicken Fingers 

1851 Franchise: How did you find your way to franchising and franchise marketing?

Natalie Hurley: This is my first fast-food or quick-service restaurant brand. I hadn’t really thought of going down that path because I had always been in luxury full-service brands. But as I analyzed the state of the industry, I saw that same-store sales and traffic in full-service were down. With inflation and high food costs, operating a luxury restaurant is very challenging. The investment is vast, and profitability is diminished.

Consumer trends showed that the share of wallet for high-end dining was getting smaller; it’s becoming a special occasion rather than something you do often. I saw the reemergence of brands like Chili’s and the success of Taco Bell and realized that’s where the growth is happening. Fast food complements the busy, fast-paced lifestyles of today’s consumers.

I had some franchising experience working with Hilton, which is majority franchised, but this move felt like a full-circle moment to create a holistic resume covering every facet of the restaurant industry. When I met the team and saw the tremendous growth pipeline on the whiteboard in Garrett’s office, I knew I would be an idiot not to jump in. It’s exciting to be part of a growing brand with such energy, especially compared to the bleakness of negative trends in full-service.

1851 Franchise: What makes franchise marketing uniquely challenging (and rewarding) compared to corporate-only marketing?

Hurley: The challenge comes from the fact that we don’t own these restaurants. The franchisees do. They are the owners, they have a voice and they have a vision. The challenge is balancing their business goals with the need to protect the brand. We have to ensure the story remains consistent and cohesive, whether the location is in Houston, Utah or Ohio.

The reward is the ability to leverage the franchisees' resources for growth. In a corporate brand, growth is hindered by internal resources. In franchising, you can pull the lever to grow at a tremendous pace. That growth automatically creates brand awareness; as more Layne’s populate the U.S., it creates a halo effect that strengthens our positioning and gets us closer to becoming a household name.

1851 Franchise: What is the single most powerful lever a marketing team can pull to directly impact franchisees’ profitability at the unit level?

Hurley: I think at the brand level and in corporate, the question is: Are they supported? Do they know how to do this? Do they have the tools and resources? If you just get on the phone with a franchisee and say, "Go hit up your local school" or "Go tap into the youth sports soccer team," it is just going to fall on deaf ears. 

I think it has to be "train the trainer." I want to build out a super comprehensive online curriculum, almost like "Layne’s School: Marketing 101," to really show them and guide them through every step of the way. 

We can say, "We’ve identified that you have three high schools in your market. This is how you do it. This is the script that you use. This is what you take with you. Here are some 'lunch on me' cards." 

We can guide them and give them the support, tools and resources to make these practices a part of the brand culture. It’s not just a checklist or a task list. It’s a living, breathing thing where there is a feedback loop. It’s a partnership. This is the Layne’s way. 

1851 Franchise: What is an untapped marketing opportunity you see for franchise brands?

Hurley: I think the low-hanging fruit in franchise marketing is engaging with your local community and really tapping into the notion of becoming a neighbor. So, when we enter into these markets where Layne’s is relatively unknown — they’ve never really heard of it. I think that’s such an opportunity to almost become a pillar in that community by going out into the field on the streets, even just within the one-to-two-mile radius of your restaurant, introducing yourself, inviting business owners, key tastemakers and influencers in the market to come experience it. 

I think that, in conjunction with higher-level brand marketing, can become such a powerful tool to really strengthen the brand and the brand presence overall.

1851 Franchise: What is one marketing fad or buzzword that you believe will actually deliver real results in the coming year?

Hurley: I think influencers. I feel like there’s a gray area around: What is an influencer? How is this impactful? How are we measuring it? It’s such a tactic now that’s being used across so many brands, but I don’t think it’s done necessarily well. It’s just kind of white noise now.

I think that’s going to evolve. The brands that are doing it well — it’s now advertising. You’re now paying for it, essentially. So that, to me, is paid media, digital media and almost like brand sponsorships versus these authentic organic influencer programs. 

It’s going to change very much over time. I think it’s heavily leaned on as something that’s going to drive traffic and revenue. I think it’s very hard to quantify that today, and brands are noticing that and are going to be a little bit more focused and more strategic at how they approach influencers in general.

It’s moving toward strategic partnerships where brands select individuals who align with the brand's ethos, providing better transparency for measuring digital KPIs.

1851 Franchise: What’s your boldest franchise marketing take? 

Hurley: I think a couple of years ago, this idea of micro-influencers was such a thing. It was like, "Oh, if we just have loads of micro-influencers, it’s going to be tremendous reach." It’s not, because how social has evolved in their algorithms, it’s so pay-to-play that it’s somewhat irrelevant.

You have to have such reach and such engagement to really go truly viral organically. And so, without the support of this kind of paid engine behind you, I think that this idea of the micro-influencers getting reach that way falls flat. I don’t think it really is as effective as people have romanticized it to be. It’s sad to say, but money is kind of the name of the game in some of these things to get the impact that you want.

For more on franchise marketing leaders, check out 1851 Franchise's Top Franchise Marketing Leaders to Know in 2026.