After opening its first franchise location in Houston in 2021, the fast-growing chicken brand is targeting Corpus Christi, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and Houston for continued growth in its home state.
Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the “soon to be famous” chicken finger franchise, has wrapped up a successful first year in franchising, with a total of 5 deals for 40 units. Now, the brand is looking to ride that momentum to even more growth in 2022, with plans to open 8 new locations and sign 45 new franchisees by the end of the year.
Garrett Reed, Layne’s CEO, says the brand’s initial growth in Texas is central to its long-term development strategy.
“We were founded in College Station and still have that rich hometown culture in all of our locations,” said Reed. “We know we have a special brand here, with serious fans across Texas, and we see a bright future for franchisees who want to bring smiles to families in their communities. It’s hard to resist our hand-fried chicken and specialty sauces, and after their first visit, people tend to become loyal guests.”
Already a legend in Texas with a 30-year history and an army of brand fanatics who stayed loyal during the pandemic, the rapidly expanding chicken finger concept plans to partner with franchisees to open 100 new locations by 2025. Territories across the nation are wide open for development, and the brand has its sights set on further growth in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona to start.
Layne’s Will Bring 6 New Locations To Dallas-Fort Worth By Spring of 2022
In line with the brand’s initiative to expand first in Texas, it was announced in late 2021, that Scott and Heather Davis, would bring six locations to Burleson, Arlington and Mansfield.
“We are super excited about the opportunity to partner with Layne’s Chicken Fingers,” said Scott Davis. “It’s going to be a lot of fun working closely with them on crafting how we go to market and grow.”
Layne’s Is Making Its Way To the Texas Capital in 2022
Furthering the brand’s Texas expansion is Texas-native Noah Kara, who is bringing the chicken franchise’s first location to Austin in early 2022.
Originally from Houston, Kara has spent his life dreaming of becoming a business owner. After spending some time working in corporate America as a business analyst at Accenture, he discovered franchising and Layne’s Chicken Fingers. Kara soon fell in love with Layne’s delicious chicken and decided to move to Austin to develop the brand. This is the first of three locations Kara is opening with Layne’s. After opening in Austin, he says he’ll focus next on opening a new location in Corpus Christi.
“It’s a very family-based culture, which is exactly what I was looking for,” Kara said. “I want to be able to grow this business with people who really care.”
Layne’s Announced the Opening of Its First Houston Area Location in 2021
Masroor Fatany opened the first Layne’s location in Katy, Texas in 2021.
Fatany is a Houston-native and seasoned restaurateur who owns and operates multiple Halal Guys restaurants in the Houston area, but he just couldn’t shake his love for Layne’s, which he says was a college staple when he attended Texas A&M in College Station.
After experiencing massive success with Halal Guys, Fatany decided it was finally time for him to bring Layne’s to Houston as the brand’s first franchisee. Fatany plans to open five more locations of the Aggie favorite in the Houston Area over the next few years.
“I had been looking for another concept for some time, but I wanted to find a brand that I really enjoyed,” Fatany said. “The menu is simple. That’s important. And then there is the connection to my alma mater in College Station, so I knew Layne’s would have that built-in following. Everyone at A&M knows Layne’s. It’s just good food at a great price. I mean, who doesn’t want that?”
Why 2022 Is the Time To Invest in Layne’s
Since the brand’s founding in 1994, it has grown from a local phenomenon to a Lone Star State icon. Layne’s expansion began in 2017, when Reed and fellow entrepreneur Matt O’Reilly approached Layne’s then-owner, Mike Garratt, about expanding the brand through franchising. With Reed’s real estate development experience and O’Reilly’s finance background, the team brought in operational and franchising expert Samir Wattar as COO. Wattar has created a smooth and efficient operating template, helping the brand to thrive with multiple corporate-owned and soon-to-be franchised stores in Texas.
With a proven track record behind it already, that expert corporate team is now welcoming investors who are ready to bring the brand to more people in more places.
“I believe in franchising, but I don’t believe in simply selling franchises,” Watter said. “I believe in opening successful restaurants. I and the rest of the leadership team want to open strong restaurants and help someone’s dream to own a business come true.”
The brand is looking for franchise candidates with heart and passion who can help launch the brand to the next level, get involved in their communities and bring exceptional service and food to new markets.
“We don’t want people to just invest,” O’Reilly said. “Wel do everything in our power to make sure that a franchisee opens with a strong showing and continues to do what they need to have a successful restaurant.”
Franchise opportunities range from $737,000 to $1,217,500 with different buildout options available. The brand is looking to grow throughout the country and will concentrate on Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. Learn more about franchising here.
Founded in 1994 in College Station, the original location became a Texas A&M legend known for its small-town charm, friendly service, iconic chicken fingers and secret sauce. While opening corporate locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the leadership team focused on fine-tuning its operations and starting to franchise. Now, the company is planning to bring Layne’s Soon to be Famous Chicken Fingers to the rest of the world with plans to open 100 locations by the next four years.
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