Why Franchisees Are Flocking to Layne’s Chicken Fingers

Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the “Soon To Be Famous™” chicken brand launched its franchise opportunity just over a year ago, and already the emerging brand has become one of the most sought-after opportunities in the QSR chicken segment. In addition to its eight open locations, Layne’s has signed franchise agreements for another 35 units and is in talks with prospective franchise partners in its home state of Texas as well as markets in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey.

So, how did an emerging chicken brand become one of the most popular franchise investments in its first year of franchising? According to Samir Wattar, Layne’s Chief Operating Officer, the brand’s popularity among prospective franchisees largely comes down to three main factors: customer loyalty, operational simplicity and expert leadership.

Layne’s Chicken Fingers has been a Texas favorite ever since its first shop opened on the Texas A&M campus more than 30 years ago. Since then, the brand has become a thriving chain with diehard fans across Texas. But franchisees aren’t just joining Layne’s to tap into that loyal customer base; in many cases, they are loyal customers themselves, Wattar says.

Brand popularity

“So many of our franchisees say they joined our brand because they are fans first and foremost,” said Wattar. “Some of them went to A&M, and Layne’s was a big part of their college experience. Others found Layne’s on their own or through friends, tried it and realized they’d found something special, so they decided to get in on the ground floor once we started franchising.”

The name “Layne’s Chicken Fingers” is no understatement. While the brand offers a few sides, like fries and potato salad, it remains almost entirely dedicated to its namesake entree: chicken fingers. Even the restaurant’s sandwich options mostly consist of chicken fingers served on Texas toast.

That narrow focus allows franchise operators to maintain simple, nimble operations with low overhead and minimal staffing and training requirements, a major draw for first-time and experienced restaurant operators alike.

Simple operations

“The simplicity of our operating model is one of the things franchisees mention most often when we ask what drew them to Layne’s,” Wattar said. “We had two franchisee groups join last year who said they loved the food and branding, but it wasn’t until they saw and experienced the kitchen and saw firsthand how streamlined and simple the operations are that they were convinced to invest.”

In addition to Wattar, who boasts more than 15 years of experience in QSR franchise operations, Layne’s executive team includes experts specializing in virtually every aspect of franchising and restaurant operations.

“Our team is small, but it covers an array of disciplines,” Wattar said. “We have a real estate expert, a finance expert, a private equity expert. Whatever a franchisee is working on, we have an expert to support them.”

Transparency and support

But more than the leadership team’s expertise, franchisees say they value the team’s transparency.

“Especially as an emerging brand, transparency is one of the most important things we offer franchisees, and that is a consistent refrain in the feedback we get,” Watter said. “People want to know what the challenges are going to be, what our plans are for the future, how we’re going to be able to support them. Fortunately, transparency is not difficult for us to achieve — it is essentially built into our growth strategy, which is designed not to just sell as many franchises as possible but to open successful restaurants.

If we’re not honest and clear with our franchise owners, they aren’t going to succeed, so it doesn’t serve us or them to be withholding or misleading.”

Layne’s is actively seeking new franchise partners in markets across the U.S., with an immediate focus on Texas.

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.