Chicken finger franchise Layne's Chicken Fingers closed out 2025 with historic growth, doubling its restaurant count and achieving record financial performance. Entering 2026 with 40 restaurants open and 10 new franchise owners in the system, Layne's is prepared for another landmark year as it works toward the longer-term vision of 300 units by 2030.

Layne's momentum has been reinforced by significant industry recognition. The brand was ranked No. 6 on Restaurant Business's 2025 Future 50 list, which recognizes emerging restaurant concepts demonstrating strong unit growth and systemwide sales performance. According to Restaurant Business, Layne's posted a 50% year-over-year unit increase and a 67% increase in systemwide sales, with 2024 systemwide revenue reaching $30 million, placing the brand among the fastest-growing concepts in the country.

Layne's has also been named to Entrepreneur's 2026 Franchise 500 list, ranking No. 366, further highlighting the brand's rapid expansion, increasing franchise demand and emergence as a force within the competitive chicken category.

"We opened 21 restaurants last year, which is 110% growth over the prior year," said Layne's CEO Garrett Reed. "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 growth included a 44-unit agreement, a 15-unit expansion by Wisconsin franchise owners and agreements signed by franchisees of other major brands like Wendy's and Arby's.

In line with the unit growth, Layne's also welcomed Natalie Hurley as vice president of brand marketing and Cuyler Esposito as vice president of culture and operations and promoted Alex Camp to vice president of operations services.

"From day one, our goal wasn't to sell franchises; our goal was to build an organization that provides services to the franchisees, and we've done that every year," said Samir Wattar, Layne's chief operating officer. "If you look at our manpower growth compared to our restaurant growth, that's clear. We now have 40 restaurants open, and we have 28 employees in the home office. We're building a support organization for a brand that we're really passionate about."

As Layne's looks toward 2026, the team is looking forward to an additional 40 restaurant openings, continued revenue growth and thoughtful footprint expansion. Layne's maintains its focus on strategic national growth, emphasizing franchisee alignment and cultural fits on the path to 300 units.

Source: Layne's Chicken Fingers