Layne's Chicken Fingers
Layne's Chicken Fingers is a Texas-born fast-casual chicken tender franchise founded in 1994, operating through franchisee-owned restaurants across 13+ U.S. states with a focused menu of hand-breaded chicken tenders, signature sauces, sandwiches, and catering.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersCollege Station, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Layne's Chicken Fingers does
Layne's Chicken Fingers is a Texas-born fast-casual restaurant franchise founded in 1994 by Mike Layne in College Station, Texas. The company's revenue model centers on franchising — collecting franchise fees and ongoing royalties from operators who open and run restaurant locations under the Layne's brand — while franchisee-owned locations generate food and beverage sales through a focused menu built around hand-breaded chicken tenders (Original and Spicy), chicken sandwiches, wraps, grilled cheese, shakes, family packs, and party packs for catering. The chain's signature proprietary Layne's Sauce, 100% halal-certified chicken, and standardized meal bundles (tenders, Golden Crinkle-Cut Fries, Texas toast, drink) underpin a tight, replicable operating format that suits a multi-unit franchise model.
The technology stack is intentionally outsourced and operator-facing rather than proprietary: PAR Technology powers digital ordering and the loyalty platform across the planned 300+ restaurant network; DoorDash handles online ordering for locations open more than three months; EZCATER fulfills catering for events; and the company mobile app delivers the Astro Points rewards program. There is no public API, no in-house AI/ML capability described, and limited in-house software development.
The franchise development model is the primary growth engine. Recent multi-unit agreements include a 55-unit deal with C5 Restaurants (Lubbock developer), a 44-unit deal with Eli Cohen (West Texas, San Antonio, Coastal Bend), a 25-unit deal with former Whataburger operator Taylor Thomas (East Texas, Oklahoma), and an 8-unit deal with former co-packing entrepreneur Bryan Horton. The chain reached its 50th open restaurant in June 2026 in Lubbock, and over 300 restaurants have been awarded or are in development across Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Virginia, Indiana, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Systemwide sales reached $30 million in 2024, with a 50% unit increase and 67% sales increase year-over-year, and the brand was ranked No. 6 on Restaurant Business's 2025 Future 50 list.
Layne's Chicken Fingers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Layne's Chicken Fingers
- Legal name
- Layne's Chicken Fingers
- Website
- https://layneschickenfingers.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Layne's Chicken Fingers is a Texas-born fast-casual chicken tender franchise founded in 1994, operating through franchisee-owned restaurants across 13+ U.S. states with a focused menu of hand-breaded chicken tenders, signature sauces, sandwiches, and catering.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Layne's Chicken Fingers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Quick-Service Chicken Restaurant
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro industry
- Chicken Concepts (Fried/Grilled/Hot Chicken)
Keywords
Where Layne's Chicken Fingers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- College Station
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Layne's Chicken Fingers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Franchise Fees and Royalty Revenue: Layne's generates revenue through franchise fees paid by operators who open new locations, as well as ongoing royalty or revenue-sharing arrangements with franchisees. The brand operates on a franchise partnership model with multi-unit development agreements.
- Food and Beverage Sales (Franchisee-Owned Locations): Individual franchise locations generate revenue through the sale of chicken finger meals, sandwiches, wraps, kids meals, shakes, sides, and catering orders. The brand emphasizes menu items including hand-breaded chicken tenders, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, and signature Layne's Sauce. The $63 billion fast food chicken market is the addressable market.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | — | Standard menu pricing varies by restaurant location |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Layne's Chicken Fingers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Layne's Chicken Fingers is a Texas-born quick-service restaurant chain that sells hand-breaded Original and Spicy chicken tender meals, chicken sandwiches, chicken wraps, kids meals, milk shakes, and signature sauces (anchored by the proprietary Layne's Sauce) through a franchisee-operated network of dine-in, carryout, delivery, and catering locations. The brand operates on a franchise model, generating revenue from franchise fees and royalties on multi-unit development deals in addition to food and beverage sales at the restaurant level.
Product overview
Layne's Chicken Fingers is a Texas-born fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 1994, operating on a franchise model. The core product portfolio centers on hand-breaded chicken tenders and chicken finger meals (available in 3, 4, and 5-finger portions), complemented by chicken sandwiches, club sandwiches, grilled cheese, and grilled chicken wraps. Signature offerings include the proprietary Layne's Sauce and Golden Crinkle-Cut Fries included with meals. The company supports its restaurant operations through a mobile app platform (Astro Points rewards), PAR Technology-powered loyalty and ordering systems, DoorDash for online delivery, and EZCATER for catering services. Additional offerings include milk shakes, beverages, family packs, and party packs for events. The brand has expanded from its original College Station location to over 40+ locations across Texas and nationally, with aggressive expansion plans.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Chicken Tender Meals
Companies that use Layne's Chicken Fingers
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Layne's Chicken Fingers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature2 records
Layne's Chicken Fingers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- PAR TechnologycoreLayne's Chicken Fingers selected PAR Technology to power its digital ordering and loyalty services platform across the brand's growing network of 300+ planned restaurants. The new platform provides digital ordering, personalized marketing, and guest data insights to improve customer engagement and retention.
- EZCatercoreLayne's partners with EZCater to fulfill catering orders for events and groups. The platform allows customers to order Layne's menu items for delivery to corporate events, parties, and community gatherings. EZCater serves as the branded fulfillment channel for catering orders over 20 people.
- DoorDashcoreDoorDash powers online ordering for Layne's locations that have been open for at least 3 months. This partnership enables delivery convenience for customers while note that Astro Points rewards cannot be earned or redeemed on DoorDash orders.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Layne's Chicken Fingers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Slim Chickens: Slim Chickens is a chicken-tenders-focused fast-casual franchise with comparable unit count, menu (tenders, sandwiches, shakes), and franchise-led growth strategy. Both target similar franchisees and consumer occasions in secondary markets.
- PDQ: PDQ is a chicken-tenders-focused fast-casual chain with a comparable menu (tenders, sandwiches, salads) and franchise growth model. Directly comparable in scale and category positioning.
- Bojangles: Bojangles is a Southern chicken-and-biscuits QSR with a chicken-centric menu and franchise model. Comparable category (chicken-focused QSR) and comparable franchisee-led regional expansion playbook.
- Raising Cane's: Raising Cane's is the most direct comparable — a chicken-fingers-only fast-casual concept with similar menu architecture (tenders, sauce, fries, Texas toast), Texas heritage, and cult brand following. Both compete for the same franchisee pool and customer occasion.
- Zaxby's: Zaxby's is a Southeast-based chicken-tenders-focused fast-casual franchise with a similar menu architecture and franchise model. Comparable unit count trajectory and competitive overlap in regional chicken-tender occasions.
Broad incumbents
- Wingstop: Wingstop is a chicken-focused franchise concept (wings instead of tenders) with a mature franchise model, comparable digital ordering/loyalty infrastructure, and substantially larger scale. Useful comparable for franchise economics in chicken QSR.
- Chick-fil-A: Chick-fil-A is the dominant U.S. chicken QSR with a much broader menu and significantly larger footprint. It sets the competitive benchmark for chicken QSR unit economics, drive-thru design, and brand loyalty in markets where Layne's is expanding.
Regional players
- Golden Chick: Golden Chick is a Texas-based chicken QSR franchise with overlapping menu (fried chicken, tenders) and shared home-market geography. Comparable as a regional competitor within Texas and an analog for Texas-rooted chicken franchise expansion.
Emerging players
- CAVA Group: CAVA is a fast-casual franchise-scalable concept at a comparable growth trajectory and unit count, with similar recent digital/loyalty investments. Useful as a peer benchmark for fast-casual unit economics and franchise-driven national expansion.
- Dave's Hot Chicken: Dave's Hot Chicken is a rapidly scaling chicken-concept franchise (spicy chicken tenders/sliders) at a similar stage of national expansion. Comparable franchise-pipeline scale and recent rapid unit growth make it a relevant emerging peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Layne's Chicken Fingers social profiles
Digital presenceLayne's Chicken Fingers compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Layne's Chicken Fingers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Layne's Chicken Fingers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Layne's Chicken Fingers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Layne's Chicken Fingers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Layne's Chicken Fingers
What does Layne's Chicken Fingers do?
Layne's Chicken Fingers is a Texas-born quick-service restaurant chain that sells hand-breaded Original and Spicy chicken tender meals, chicken sandwiches, chicken wraps, kids meals, milk shakes, and signature sauces (anchored by the proprietary Layne's Sauce) through a franchisee-operated network of dine-in, carryout, delivery, and catering locations. The brand operates on a franchise model, generating revenue from franchise fees and royalties on multi-unit development deals in addition to food and beverage sales at the restaurant level.
Is Layne's Chicken Fingers a public or private company?
Layne's Chicken Fingers is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Layne's Chicken Fingers founded?
Layne's Chicken Fingers was founded in 1994. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Layne's Chicken Fingers based?
Layne's Chicken Fingers is headquartered in College Station, United States, in the North America region.
How does Layne's Chicken Fingers make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Franchise Fees and Royalty Revenue is the primary driver. The others are food and Beverage Sales (Franchisee-Owned Locations).
Who are Layne's Chicken Fingers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Slim Chickens, PDQ, Bojangles, Raising Cane's and Zaxby's. Broad incumbents are Wingstop and Chick-fil-A. Golden Chick is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are CAVA Group and Dave's Hot Chicken.
Does Layne's Chicken Fingers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Layne's Chicken Fingers.
What industry is Layne's Chicken Fingers in?
Layne's Chicken Fingers's product category is Quick-Service Chicken Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAI, Chicken Concepts (Fried/Grilled/Hot Chicken). Its SIC code is 5812.