Layne's Chicken Fingers](https://www.layneschickenfingers.com) is opening its Midland, Texas, location on October 24 at 2000 Rankin Hwy, marking the brand's third Texas debut this year and the latest milestone in one of the faster-moving regional franchise buildouts in the QSR chicken segment. The first 50 dine-in guests will receive free Layne's for a year, and a portion of grand-opening-day sales will benefit Midland Senior High School.
The Development Deal
Eli Cohen, founder of C5 Restaurants, signed a 55-unit development agreement with Layne's in late 2025 covering Texas and Arkansas. The pace of execution is notable: three Texas locations have opened year-to-date, and a San Antonio restaurant — the brand's first in that market — is set to open just one week after Midland. For franchise development watchers, the back-to-back cadence illustrates how well-capitalized multi-unit operators can compress traditional opening timelines when supply-chain and site-selection groundwork is laid in advance.
"Eli and his team are executing against an ambitious development plan, bringing Layne's into new communities and building momentum with each opening," said Garrett Reed, Chief Executive Officer of Layne's Chicken Fingers. "With Midland followed by our first San Antonio location just one week later, we're excited to keep expanding our reach across Texas."
Menu and Market Position
The Midland unit will carry Layne's full menu of hand-breaded chicken finger meals, Texas toast–stacked sandwiches, and its chicken club topped with brisket bacon and American cheese — a lineup that anchors the brand's differentiation in a crowded chicken-finger segment increasingly contested by both regional independents and national players. Dipping sauces range from the brand's proprietary house sauce to jalapeño ranch, honey mustard, BBQ, and gravy.
Founded in 1994 near Texas A&M University in College Station, Layne's has grown to more than 50 locations. That scale puts it squarely in the growth corridor between emerging regional concept and established national chain — a transition stage that historically demands disciplined franchisee selection and operational infrastructure. Cohen's multi-unit background and structured development timeline reflect the kind of franchise expansion strategy that brands at this stage typically need to sustain momentum without sacrificing unit-level economics.
For operators tracking the fast-casual chicken category, Layne's West Texas push is worth monitoring alongside broader QSR growth trends as the brand targets additional openings in 2027 and continues building out its nationwide footprint through franchise partnerships.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
