Layne’s Chicken Fingers is all about its namesake whether for dipping or in a sandwich (with Texas Toast of course).
Taylor Thomas probably holds the record for earliest start to a restaurant career. His parents had a crib in one of the kitchens where a toddler Thomas watched as his parents ran their Whataburgers.
“My father actually became a franchisee with Whataburger in ‘89,” said Thomas, who was 2 years old at the time. “I feel like I’ve lived in a restaurant my entire life.”
For as long as he can remember, he was cooking, working a register or at the drive-thru window. Even when he was in college, Whataburger was a main fixture in his life, so taking over the business was always in the cards. Now he’s running 23 Whataburgers in Texas and signed a 25-unit deal with Layne’s Chicken Fingers to develop the concept in the eastern part of the state as the next step in his career.
“We completed everything we had to complete and really we realized there wasn’t anywhere else to go,” he said. “So it was time to find something new.”
At 13 units, Layne’s is known for doing one thing: chicken tenders. The popular meal has kept the brand going since 1994 and its original location in College Station, Texas, is still open.
Thomas wanted to find another brand in the restaurant sector to stick with what he knew best. He also knew he “didn’t want to be a number on a spreadsheet,” as he had grown up in a family business and sought a similar family feel in his next concept. A friend tossed out the idea of Layne’s, so Thomas went undercover to check out the brand.
Taylor Thomas will be building Layne’s in East Texas for the next decade of his career.
“We sat down and just kind of watched them,” said Thomas. “The product was fantastic; everybody was smiling and it was just a fun environment.”
Though Chief Operating Officer Samir Wattar was at the location, Thomas didn’t talk with him. Instead, he later scheduled a conversation with the brand’s leadership team and had two requirements on his list: good product and easy-to-run operations. The connection with the executives and Layne’s being Texas-born helped seal it.
The commitment to a 25-unit deal shows the confidence Thomas has in the brand and how big he thinks it can get in his East Texas territory.
“We knew we wanted to be centered on our hub and looked at the amount of stores we felt capable of building within that 10-year frame,” said Thomas. “We wanted to make sure the East Texas market was ready and we were able to deliver.”
His first Layne’s restaurant is slated to open this year in Tyler, Texas. From there, the goal is to open three to four per year.
The cost to open a Layne’s Chicken Fingers restaurant ranges from $446,500 to just over $1 million. The average unit volume in 2023 was $1.8 million from traditional restaurants with drive-thru and dine-in options.
“They made it straight to the point and decided what they’re going to be good at, and dedicated everything they had to be good at it,” said Thomas. “It’s just fantastic, it’s easy and the product speaks for itself.”