The Soon to be Famous™ chicken franchise is kicking off its 30th
year with a bang, nearly doubling its awarded restaurant count and
continuing internal development to support the growing system.
COLLEGE
STATION, Texas, May 2, 2024
/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Layne's Chicken Fingers, the Soon to be
FamousTM chicken finger franchise, is quickly growing, awarding 91
new restaurants through eight franchise agreements in the first
quarter of 2024 alone. The brand also opened two new restaurants in
Q1, one of which achieved six-figure sales volumes in the first
week alone.
"The number of franchise units that we sold in Q1 is amazing,
but that's made even more amazing by the number of people we have
turned away and how picky we're being," said Layne's CEO
Garrett Reed. "Yes, we've signed
deals for a ton of units. But the bigger part of the story is that
we've turned away almost an equal number of opportunities that just
weren't a good fit for our system. We can still be friends, but if
we don't feel you're a fit for the system, we have to protect our
brand."
The Layne's leadership team has long prided itself on the
quality of candidates it attracts and accepts. Chief Operating
Officer Samir Wattar has repeatedly
emphasized the importance of protecting the brand and protecting
the franchisees, and the impacts of this have become clear. As
Layne's grows, prospective owners are realizing the value that
exists in the system and looking to get in on the growth before
prime territories are claimed.
"The word is getting out, and more people are starting to see
who we are, where we're growing and that we're true to our word,"
Wattar said. "You don't have to be an expert in the restaurant
industry to know that having cars wrapped around the building and
having a six-figure opening week are good signs. People are seeing
the financial success of the brand, and the industry is watching
us."
These successes have caught the eyes of major Moe's and
Whataburger franchisees, a former Jersey Mike's franchisee and
retired MLB player, and a former employee of the original Layne's
restaurant, all of whom have all signed to open new Layne's
locations in Georgia, East Texas and Wyoming, respectively.
"We're starting to see that 'I better get in early' mindset,"
said Reed. "People are seeing what's happening with our growth, and
they want to make sure they haven't missed the chance to join us
and secure their markets."
While Layne's is focused on expanding beyond the state of
Texas, the brand is still working
to sell out its home state as well, targeting new franchise
agreements in the Valley and West
Texas. Layne's also expects 10 more openings this year,
including locations in Nashville,
Tennessee; Janesville,
Wisconsin; and Roswell,
Georgia — the brand's first locations in each state.
To support its rapid growth, Layne's has further developed its
corporate team. By making a capital commitment to the
infrastructure in the early days of the brand's growth, the
management team has set the brand up to succeed by ensuring there
are always enough experts available at the corporate level to
support the growing system.
"We have more corporate employees than we have stores; there are
not a lot of brands our size that can say that," Reed explained.
"We are designed right now to support 40 units. We've spent the
last two years building that team, so unlike other young franchise
groups, we don't have to catch up to the growth of our franchisees
— we're ahead of pace."
Looking toward the rest of the year and beyond, Reed and Wattar
said they're sticking to what works, protecting the brand and
honoring their commitment to the franchisees who have joined the
system to this point. Given recent responses from guests and
prospective owners alike, it's clear Layne's is on track to
continue with its exponential growth, bringing an attractive
investment opportunity and delicious chicken fingers to more
markets across the country.
"We're always looking for validation that what we're doing is
the correct thing," Wattar said. "When we have restaurants in small
towns surpassing $100,000 in sales
during their opening week, one of the largest Whataburger
franchisees signing a deal with Layne's, and franchisees coming to
us and pitching themselves, we know we're doing the right thing. I
truly believe in 'Find what you're good at and be great at it,' and
that's what we're doing. We're staying true to the brand, and we're
not deviating from what we know works."
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise,
please visit
https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers/info.
Media Contact
Lauren Turner, Mainland,
3125263996, lturner@hellomainland.com, www.hellomainland.com
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SOURCE Layne's Chicken Fingers