Virginia Footprint Grows
Layne's Chicken Fingers opened its second Richmond-area restaurant on Oct. 24 at 8801 Staples Mill Rd. in Henrico, Va., marking another step in franchisee Khurram Burney's commitment to build the brand across the state. The Texas-born chicken finger concept now operates more than 50 locations nationwide and is pushing deeper into the Southeast through franchise partnerships.
Burney was among the first operators to bring Layne's into Virginia. His Henrico unit is the direct follow-on to his first Richmond-area location, and additional Virginia openings are already in the pipeline. The brand's disciplined growth model — centered on single-concept focus and strong franchisee relationships — mirrors the playbook fast-casual chicken specialists have used to carve share from legacy QSR players in recent years.
Menu and Grand-Opening Offer
The Henrico location runs Layne's full menu: hand-breaded chicken finger baskets, Texas toast–stacked sandwiches, and a chicken club topped with brisket bacon and American cheese. Dipping sauces span the brand's signature house recipe through jalapeño ranch, honey mustard, BBQ, and gravy — a build-your-own flavor variety that has anchored Layne's loyalty among its core fanbase since the concept launched near Texas A&M University in College Station in 1994.
To drive trial at opening, the first 50 dine-in guests received free Layne's for a year — a high-visibility grand-opening mechanic common among emerging franchise concepts competing for attention in crowded suburban markets.
Operator and Brand Outlook
"I'm excited to bring Layne's back to the Richmond area with our new Henrico location," said Burney. "I'm looking forward to welcoming even more local guests and giving them a chance to try what makes Layne's special." Garrett Reed, Chief Executive Officer of Layne's Chicken Fingers, credited Burney as instrumental in establishing the brand in Virginia and called Henrico "a natural next step."
The Henrico opening arrives as the hand-breaded chicken tender segment continues to attract franchisee investment. Operators across the convenience and fast-casual channel have flagged chicken tenders as a consistent traffic driver, with the category benefiting from broad demographic appeal and relatively simple back-of-house execution compared with full sandwich programs. For Layne's, Virginia represents one of several active development corridors as the brand works toward a larger national footprint through selective multi-unit franchising.
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.
