Layne’s Chicken Fingers CEO on the incredible runway for chicken chains

Take-Away with Sam Oches

Nation's Restaurant News

Entrepreneurship, Business

4.9 • 17 Ratings

🗓️ 21 April 2026

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Garrett Reed, CEO of Layne’s Chicken Fingers, a Texas-based fast casual that had 40 units at the beginning of this year but plans to double that count by the end of the year — with projections showing it could have more than 500 locations open by 2029. Garrett and his partners acquired Layne’s from founder Mike Layne in 2017 and took three years to develop the model, building out a support team at headquarters and the right infrastructure that would ensure franchisee profitability. With all that work done, Layne’s is now stepping on the accelerator and finding success even as countless other chicken chains race across the country. Garrett joined the podcast to talk about how he thinks the chicken category will shake out in the coming years — and why he thinks there’s room for 4,000 Layne’s units in the U.S. alone.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

When introducing franchising, take your time and stress test the model
By ensuring franchisee profitability, you can ensure future growth
A dose of humility can rev up your business’s growth
There’s plenty of runway left for chicken — but quality and culture will determine the winners and losers

Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at sam.oches@informa.com.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Attention restaurant operators. Get ready for the 29th annual Menu Masters, the culinary event of the year
0:05.9	happening May 16th at Morgan Manufacturing in Chicago.
0:10.0	Presented by Nation's Restaurant News and sponsored by Ventura Foods, this premier gathering
0:14.6	celebrates the industry's most iconic innovators and showcases the winners of the prestigious
0:19.9	menu masters awards.
0:21.8	Plus, you don't want to miss the epic after party, where the vibe is cool, the music is hot,
0:27.1	and this year's party swag is top notch. Join fellow tastemakers and industry leaders for an
0:32.8	unforgettable night of inspiration and connection. RSVP today at the link in our show notes.
0:38.6	Early registration is strongly recommended as this event sells out every year.
0:43.6	Welcome to Takeaway with Sam Okas, a podcast for leaders of growing restaurant companies
0:47.7	looking to take their businesses to the next level. In nearly two decades covering restaurants,
0:52.6	I've gained access to some of this industry's
0:54.5	most influential decision makers, and I'm letting you in on the conversations. In today's
1:00.0	episode, you'll hear from the CEO of a fast-growing chicken finger chain about why a carefully
1:05.8	tailored franchise model creates fast and healthy growth and about why the crowded chicken category may not even be
1:13.2	close to saturated yet.
1:15.5	Garrett Reed is the CEO of Lane's Chicken Fingers, a Texas-based fast casual that had 40 units
1:21.6	at the beginning of this year, but plans to double that count by the end of the year, with
1:25.9	projections showing that it could have more
1:27.9	than 500 locations open by 2029. Plenty of brands brag about franchise locations and
1:35.1	development, but Garrett and his team at Lanes may yet put their money where their mouth is
1:39.5	because of the careful attention that they have paid to building out the franchise model in the first place.
	...

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