--- title: "Eli Cohen Brings Layne's Chicken Fingers to West Texas - 40 New Locations" url: https://burnaze.com/article/97838a8b-c3eb-4c25-8e67-59722442c5a0 source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/eli-cohen-laynes-chicken-fingers-texas-2730731 category: "Chicken" industry: "Restaurants" segment: "Chicken" topics: ["Development & multi-unit"] published: 2025-11-12T20:15:02.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T20:30:47.574Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/1762548650_2730731.png --- # Eli Cohen Brings Layne's Chicken Fingers to West Texas - 40 New Locations **TL;DR:** Eli Cohen plans to develop 40 Layne's Chicken Fingers locations across West Texas, San Antonio, and the Coastal Bend over the next decade. Cohen's company, C5 Restaurants, targets West Texas and San Antonio for the expansion of the Layne's brand. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2025-11-12. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/eli-cohen-laynes-chicken-fingers-texas-2730731).* ## Key facts - Eli Cohen plans to develop 40 Layne's locations - C5 Restaurants targets West Texas and San Antonio - Layne's franchise opportunities range from $451,500 to $1,050,000 ## Story For Eli Cohen, Layne’s Chicken Fingers* represents more than just a restaurant — it’s the foundation for his next great venture and an extension of C5’s mission to build enduring, high-performing businesses through disciplined growth, great leadership and strong local teams. Drawn by Layne’s leadership, simplicity and scalability, Cohen and his team plan to develop 40 locations over the next decade across West Texas, San Antonio and the Coastal Bend — bringing the Soon to be Famous™ concept to new communities throughout the region. ## Eli Cohen's background **Eli Cohen:** Getting into QSR franchising is really my second act — and it’s been an exciting evolution. I built my first career in commercial real estate, co-founding a firm that acquired and operated more than $600 million in multifamily properties across the country. As the market matured and returns compressed, I started looking for my next challenge — something that combined entrepreneurship, operations and real estate. That search led to the restaurant industry and the formation of C5 Restaurants, our operating platform. I targeted the acquisition of the top-performing Fazoli’s franchise group in West Texas specifically because of the exceptional team in place — experienced operators with the capability and desire to grow well beyond those six locations. What drew me to QSR is that it still scratches the same itch I’ve always loved — every new restaurant is also a real estate deal. Developing 40 Layne’s locations over the next decade means 40 great projects to bring to life, and that part of the process is a lot of fun for me. Layne’s Chicken Fingers became the natural next step: a Texas-born brand with strong leadership, simple operations, and a culture that fits perfectly with how we build teams. **Cohen:** Early on, I viewed franchising primarily as a real estate and investment vehicle — a way to own great locations and benefit from proven systems. But after stepping into the business, I’ve come to appreciate how powerful the model can be when it’s built around the right people. At C5 Restaurants, we see franchising as a platform to scale exceptional operators — not just a brand replication exercise. When a franchisor has a strong culture and a clear playbook, it allows local teams like ours to focus on execution, leadership and community impact. That combination of structure and autonomy is what makes the model work. ## Layne's chicken fingers growth **Cohen:** I met with a lot of different brands, but Layne’s stood out immediately. There’s tremendous momentum in the chicken category, and I wanted a concept that could grow meaningfully across our Texas markets — West Texas, San Antonio and the Coastal Bend. But beyond the product and market opportunity, it really came down to the people. The Layne’s leadership team felt like true partners from day one. They’re smart, grounded and focused on sustainable growth. I also love the simplicity of the menu — it’s delicious, operationally clean and designed to scale. The economics work, the prototype is efficient, and the team has a disciplined approach to site selection and development. One thing that really impressed me was their willingness to say no. I brought them a ground-up site that looked great on paper — high visibility, strong traffic counts — but they turned it down because it wasn’t the right trade area. That level of discipline and long-term thinking is rare, and it reinforced that we were partnering with the right brand. For us at C5, Layne’s is more than a brand — it’s a platform to build great teams and great communities across South and West Texas. **Cohen:** Our goal with C5 is to build a platform with real scale. We’re developing 40 Layne’s Chicken Fingers locations over the next decade, starting in West Texas and expanding through San Antonio, Corpus Christi and surrounding markets. Each region has strong demographics, steady growth and plenty of room for a Texas-born brand like Layne’s to thrive. We’re building a business designed for longevity — not just rapid unit growth. That means investing early in leadership, systems and infrastructure that can support dozens of restaurants efficiently. We already have a seasoned team in place with decades of experience operating high-volume restaurants, and that allows us to grow aggressively while maintaining quality and consistency. The long-term vision is to make C5 one of the leading multi-unit operators in Texas — a company known for building great teams and running great brands at scale. **Cohen:** The most important part of what we’re building is the people behind it. We have an incredibly experienced team in Texas — operators who’ve been together for decades and know how to run great restaurants. They’re the reason we can grow with confidence. When I bought the Fazoli’s business, I wasn’t just acquiring restaurants — I was partnering with a team that had the talent and drive to build something much larger. That same group is now helping lead our Layne’s development under C5 Restaurants, and we’re continuing to add new talent as we expand. At the end of the day, great brands are built by great people, and we’re fortunate to have both. **Cohen:** Talk to as many franchisees as you can. You learn a lot from hearing directly from the people already running the business day to day — what’s working, what’s challenging and how the franchisor supports them. When I was evaluating different brands, that part of the process told me almost everything I needed to know. Every single Layne’s franchisee I spoke with not only called me back but was genuinely enthusiastic about the brand and the leadership team. That kind of culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a good reminder that you’re not just buying a franchise — you’re joining a system. Make sure it’s one where people are happy to be part of it. 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 development (topic) - restaurant industry (topic) - San Antonio (location) - Layne's Chicken Fingers (company) - Fazoli's (company) - Texas A&M (company) - West Texas (location) - Eli Cohen (person) - C5 Restaurants (company) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/eli-cohen-laynes-chicken-fingers-texas-2730731). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/97838a8b-c3eb-4c25-8e67-59722442c5a0).