May 1 – CHEYENNE – Layne’s Chicken Fingers, a Texas-based chicken shop, may be coming to Cheyenne. The company announced in late April its intention to expand to the capital and possibly Laramie as well.
Michael Hickerson worked at the original Layne’s in College Station, Texas, while studying at Texas A&M University. While working there in the mid-2000s, he helped the owner, Garrett Reed, open a second store on the other side of town.
Hickerson enjoyed working for Layne’s, but pursued a career in banking after college when he and his wife moved to Laramie in 2007. When he heard from his brother that the company was expanding to his hometown of Corsicana, Texas, he assumed that There must have just been another chicken shop with the same name. However, it turns out that Layne’s began franchising in 2021 and now has more than 15 locations open across the country.
Since then, Hickerson has toyed with the idea of franchising and bringing the Texas brand to the Cowboy State.
“A couple of times the thought has crossed my mind, ‘I wonder if I could talk to the previous owner about opening Layne’s here,’ because I think it would work out and, selfishly, I would love to eat there again,” Hickerson said.
He identified Cheyenne as a potential location to pursue his career change due to the larger market compared to Laramie and the lack of other chicken-specific stores. There are places like Chick-fil-A and McDonalds that offer chicken on their menu, but this store is more like Raising Cane’s, Slim Chickens or Zaxby’s – offering their own seasonings, homemade sauces, sandwiches and wraps, too.
“It seems like it’s becoming more popular,” Hickerson said of stores specializing in chicken tenders. “I’m not sure how to say this politely, but being from the South, I miss Southern food. I liked it myself.”
He is currently in the process of identifying a location in Cheyenne or Laramie for the new Layne’s, whichever opportunity comes first, although he said he is attracted to the larger Cheyenne market. Hickerson also said he is leaning more toward new construction, but is open to the possibility of remodeling an existing building if that option is available. Overall, he estimated it will be about a year before the chicken shop opens somewhere in southeastern Wyoming.
Hickerson has never franchised a restaurant before, but feels confident in his abilities due to his business knowledge from banking experience and the support of the established franchise. While his goal is to open stores in Cheyenne and Laramie, he said he would be open to considering the possibility of expanding in the Front Range at some point in the future.
“I’d like to start one and see how it works, maybe open a second one in Laramie if it works, and just, sort of, see how we’re able to grow and take one store at a time,” he said.
Hickerson anticipated opening a location this time next year, depending on if, when and where he can find land.
Layne’s Chicken Fingers was founded in 1994 and currently has 16 restaurants in four states, with four more planned to open, including the only location in Wyoming. Since its foray into franchising in 2021, the brand has already awarded 226 restaurants to franchisees and aims to have 50 units open and 200 sold by 2025.
Noah Zahn is the local government/business reporter for the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. He can be reached at 307-633-3128 or nzahn@wyomingnews.com. Follow him on X @NoahZahnn.
