Market briefs
Logs 110% Growth: Aggie Favorite Layne’s Chicken Fingers
In Frisco, Texas, Layne’s Chicken Fingers doubled its number of locations in 2025 and more restaurants are on the way.
The chicken finger chain became a Texas A&M favorite after its founding in College Station in 1994. In recent years, it has grown to 40 locations across Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, Wisconsin, Utah, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
“We opened 21 restaurants last year, which is 110% growth over the prior year,” said CEO Garrett Reed in a news release. “We increased average unit volume across the system, and we brought on 10 new franchisees for a total of 40 restaurants awarded. We also developed the organization further to provide better support to our franchisees.”
Layne’s aims to open another 40 locations in 2026 as part of a targeted 300 units by 2030.
Over the last five years, Layne’s has grown to eight locations in the Houston area, including its newest at 28225 Southwest Freeway near Highway 36 in Rosenberg.
Now based in Frisco, Texas, Layne’s is known for its crispy chicken fingers, secret sauce, and crinkle-cut fries. Mike Layne opened the first location in College Station in 1994 and was joined by Texas A&M student Mike Garratt the following year. The chain first expanded outside of College Station to the Dallas area in 2018.
Layne’s earned the No. 6 spot on Restaurant Business’ Future 50 ranking of the country’s fastest-growing small chains in 2025. As stated by Restaurant Business, Layne’s saw a 67% jump in systemwide sales and a 50% increase in unit count in 2024. Chicken and coffee chains dominated the latest Future 50 list.
In other recognition, Layne’s ranked No. 366 on the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 list.
Among recent developments, Layne’s reported a 44-unit agreement last year to expand across West Texas, San Antonio, and the Coastal Bend. The company executed a 12-unit deal with a franchisee to develop the Rio Grande Valley, an eight-unit deal to develop in The Big Country area in Texas, and a four-unit agreement to expand in South Fort Worth. The company also signed a 15-unit expansion by Wisconsin franchise owners.
Now numbering 28 employees in the home office, Layne’s has made key hires and promotions to support its growth. Natalie Hurley recently joined the company as vice president of brand marketing, while Cuyler Esposito joined as vice president of culture and operations. Alex Camp was promoted to vice president of operations services.
