Why a Multi-Unit Huddle House Operator Invested in Layne’s Chicken Fingers

After launching an insurance agency immediately after college, selling it 12 years later, and spending some time in corporate roles, Dutch McNeal knew entrepreneurship and being his own boss was the best pathway for him. To get back into business ownership, but this time with a franchise model, McNeal and his partners acquired five Huddle House restaurants. As he considered further growth, he knew he would need to diversify the portfolio to stay in his preferred geographical range.

McNeal set out on a franchise research journey, focusing on coffee and chicken concepts that he knew would have quick transaction speeds and position him for the type of business volume he desired. As he built a list of brands to explore, Layne’s Chicken Fingers*, the 30-unit Texas “born and breaded” chicken finger franchise, joined the ranks. A taste test and meeting with the leadership team sealed the deal, as McNeal could tell the team “wasn’t just talking that talk; they were walking the walk, too.”

Now, he has signed a five-unit deal to grow the brand across Southeast Georgia and Northeast Florida with plans to open his first two locations in Kingsland and Waycross, Georgia.

Dutch McNeal: Out of college, I started an insurance agency with a business partner. We had that for 12 years. After we sold it, I did the corporate thing for a few years, but after being my own boss for so many years, the corporate life was not for me. I got my feet wet in franchising by acquiring five Huddle House restaurants.

McNeal: With prior experience opening my own business and acquiring the Huddle House franchises, I knew the support of the franchise model would be very helpful.

I started thinking about how to grow, and geographically, there wasn’t much potential left with Huddle House. I decided to look at coffee and chicken concepts to stay in the quick-service space.

Franchising made sense because of the speed. Volume is the goal, and franchises already have a lot of the processes already figured out. We just have to execute.

McNeal: I felt franchising made a lot of sense as a pathway to venture into something new. That is still true, but I think people should also understand how important it is to choose the right brand. If you’re partnering with the right brand, they’ve figured out the business model, they have a quality product, and they’ve got the processes down. It speeds you up compared to having to go through those learning curves on your own.

There’s also an economic upside. A franchise is going to be able to buy food at better costs than I would be able to on my own operating just a couple of restaurants.

McNeal: I was looking at a few different QSR concepts and planning a trip to visit a few different brands. I noticed Layne’s along that route and decided to add it on. After doing taste tests, Layne’s just had the best chicken, best fries and best sauces. That’s what blew me away.

It’s also important to find a franchisor with the right attitude. One of the first things that they said that hooked me was explaining that their customers aren’t the people in these restaurants eating chicken; their customer is me, the franchisee. That’s a good franchise partner. After meeting the leadership team, it was almost infectious. They weren’t just talking that talk; I could tell they were walking the walk, too. With the Layne’s team, I feel like I know what I’m getting, and we’re not going to be managed or supported strictly based off of a balance sheet or how we did last quarter.

McNeal: If the first five units perform how I’m expecting them to, I’d happily sign an additional development agreement — maybe even before I have all five open and operating. We can serve Southeast Georgia and Northeast Florida, and I would consider expanding to multiple new markets as long as we stay within a radius of a two-hour drive.

McNeal: I’m really excited about this. I love the product, and I think the people in my community will love it, too. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be bringing it to them.

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.