College Station, Texas — With 16 restaurants open and another 212 awarded, including 91 in the first quarter alone, chicken finger franchise Layne’s Chicken Fingers is building a team to support its rapidly growing system. The team recently welcomed Alex Camp as senior director of operations and Ashley Reynolds as director of marketing.
The brand also recently moved into a new office, which accommodates more team members and provides them with the space they need as the brand scales. Layne’s has welcomed several new experts to the family to bolster its franchisee support.
“We have the voice of the franchisees and operators represented at our home office, and now, we have the voice of the customer in the room,” says Samir Wattar, chief operating officer. “Ashley and Alex both understand where we are and where we want to go, and they’re committed to being a part of our growth without changing the culture or essence of Layne’s Chicken Fingers. We’re excited to have them.”
With plans to continue expanding nationwide as they work toward 50 units open by the end of 2025, the entire Layne’s team is excited about the growth it is experiencing at the home office and leading in local markets across the country.
Shaq Jones, director of training, and Justin Olivieri, director of construction, have worked closely with both the leadership team at the corporate office and local franchisees to support owners through the development and opening processes.
“We have more corporate employees than we have stores; there are not a lot of brands our size that can say that,” says CEO Garrett Reed. “We are designed right now to support 40 units. We’ve spent the last 2 years building that team, so unlike other young franchise groups, we don’t have to catch up to the growth of our franchisees — we’re ahead of pace.”
SOURCE: Layne’s Chicken Fingers