---
title: "Layne’s Chicken Fingers Coming to Little Rock in June"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/81126d69-932e-4f14-8589-ab0cc03b1139
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers/arkansas-laynes-franchisee-secures-real-estate-set-to-open-in-june-2729467
category: "Chicken"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Chicken"
published: 2025-06-03T13:08:06.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T00:53:27.450Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/1748378559_2729467.png
---

# Layne’s Chicken Fingers Coming to Little Rock in June

**TL;DR:** Layne's Chicken Fingers is opening its first location in Little Rock, Arkansas, with plans to bring 10 total locations to the state. The brand is expanding its footprint across the US, with a goal of having 50 units open by 2025.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2025-06-03. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers/arkansas-laynes-franchisee-secures-real-estate-set-to-open-in-june-2729467).*

## Story

**LITTLE ROCK —** Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the Soon to be Famous™ chicken finger franchise with over 20 restaurants open across the U.S. and another 250 sold, will be opening in Little Rock this summer. Jake WIllett, entrepreneur and former landscaping business owner, is leading the brand’s growth in Little Rock, and after recently securing real estate at 3711 McCain Street, he is on track to open the restaurant this June. He is planning to bring 10 total Layne’s restaurants to the state.

“Jake has selected a great site for his new restaurant,” said Samir Wattar, chief operating officer. “Layne’s is a great fit for the Little Rock community, and we look forward to bringing our iconic crispy tenders and laid-back, guest-focused atmosphere to the area.”

The Little Rock deal is one of many in the Layne’s pipeline, but it is the first in Arkansas. As the franchise continues to grow its footprint, Willett will play a key role in driving brand awareness and catering to even more Layne’s fans nationwide.

“I’m really looking forward to opening Layne's in Little Rock this summer,” said Willett. “The 3711 McCain Street location is a great place to serve the Little Rock neighborhood.”

In the $59 billion fast food chicken market, Layne’s strives to provide its guests with a unique and refreshing experience. Staying true to its roots, Layne’s still focuses on offering crispy, juicy chicken tenders but has also expanded its menu to include new sauces, chicken sandwiches, chicken wraps and milkshakes to meet the evolution of guest demand.

With a history of strong growth and incredible demand from guests, Layne’s is quickly expanding with passionate franchisees. Now that the real estate has been secured, Willett’s restaurant moves the system one step closer to having 50 units open by 2025.

The Layne’s team is also working to sell 300 total restaurants by 2025, focusing its expansion on its home state of Texas as well as Virginia, Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

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.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- unit expansion (topic)
- franchise growth (topic)
- restaurant opening (topic)
- Layne's Chicken Fingers (company)
- Arkansas (location)
- Samir Wattar (person)
- Texas A&M (company)
- Little Rock (location)
- Jake Willett (person)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers/arkansas-laynes-franchisee-secures-real-estate-set-to-open-in-june-2729467). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/81126d69-932e-4f14-8589-ab0cc03b1139).