Layne's Chicken Fingers Accelerates Growth in Q1 2026 With 50+ Restaurants Awarded and Expansion Across Key Markets

"The excitement about Layne's only continues to grow," said CEO Garrett Reed. "The start of this year has been very busy as we've signed agreements with new and existing franchisees, opened new restaurants, and executed 16 leases for future development. Throughout all of this growth, we've maintained our focus on partnering with the right people in the right markets and ensuring the Layne's experience our guests know and love remains intact."

The opening of Layne's in Waycross, Georgia, was the brand's second restaurant in the state and marked its entry into a new market. Still, the brand received an incredibly warm welcome. Layne's also continued expanding across its home state of Texas with a unique endcap drive-thru location in Leander, a new restaurant in Rosenberg that maintained strong momentum without a post-grand-opening sales dip, a well-received opening in Rockwall, and a standout debut in Palestine that delivered a record-breaking opening week, further reinforcing the brand's strong performance across both established and emerging Texas markets.

In addition to its growth, Layne's earned an inaugural placement on the highly competitive Franchise 500 list, achieving a top placement in the franchise rankings. Recognized for its growth, support and strength as a model, it's clear Layne's position in the larger chicken restaurant space is growing, too.

"I feel very strongly that the best validation we could ask for is a franchisee making the choice to invest their funds, time and energy in our brand," said Samir Wattar, Chief Operating Officer. "Signing agreements with both new owners and current owners who are pleased with how they're doing with Layne's speaks to what we're doing. And earning a placement on one of the most competitive franchise rankings in the industry, based on real data from our system, on one of the most competitive franchise rankings in the industry only makes Layne's shine even more."