Layne's Chicken Fingers may come to Cheyenne

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 city, and possibly Laramie, as well.

Michael Hickerson worked at the original Layne's in College Station, Texas, while he was attending school at Texas A&M University. While he was working there in the mid-2000s, he helped the owner, Garrett Reed, open a second shop 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, Corsicana, Texas, he assumed it must have just been another chicken shop with the same name. However, it turned out that Layne's began franchising in 2021 and now has more than 15 locations open across the nation.

Since then, Hickerson has toyed with the idea of franchising and bringing the Texas brand to the Cowboy State.

"A handful of times, the thought has crossed my mind of, 'I wonder if I could talk to the old owner about opening Layne's up here' because I think it'd do well and, selfishly, I'd love to eat it again," Hickerson said.

He identified Cheyenne as a potential location to pursue his career change due to the larger market compared to Laramie and lack of other chicken tender specific shops. There are places like Chick-fil-A and McDonalds that offer chicken on their menu, but this shop is more akin to the likes of Raising Cane's, Slim Chickens or Zaxby's — offering their own seasoning, house-made sauces, and sandwiches and wraps, as well.

"It kind of seems to be becoming more popular," Hickerson said of shops specializing in chicken tenders. "I'm not sure how to nicely say this, but, being from the South, I miss southern food. It's so well-seasoned. ... So, I definitely feel like there's a need for it. And like I said, I enjoyed it myself."

Currently, he is in the process of identifying a spot in Cheyenne or Laramie for the new Layne's, whichever opportunity presents itself first, though he said he is attracted to the larger Cheyenne market. Hickerson also said he's leaning more toward new construction, but is open to the possibility of remodeling an existing building, if that option becomes available. Overall, he estimated it will be around a year before the chicken shop opens somewhere in southeast Wyoming.

Hickerson has never franchised a restaurant before, but he feels confident in his abilities due to his knowledge of business from a background in banking and with the support of the established franchise. While his goal is to get shops set up in Cheyenne and Laramie, he said he'll be open to considering the possibility of expansion across the Front Range at some point in the future.

"I'd like to get one going and see how it works, maybe open a second one in Laramie, if it works out, and just, kind of, see how we're able to grow and take it one store at a time," he said.

Hickerson anticipated opening a location around this time next year, depending on if, when and where he can find a plot of land.

Layne's Chicken Fingers was founded in 1994, and currently has 16 restaurants across four states, with four more planned to open, including the only Wyoming location. Since its 2021 foray into franchising, the brand has awarded 226 restaurants to franchisees aims to have 50 units open and 200 sold by 2025.

Noah Zahn is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's local government/business reporter. He can be reached at 307-633-3128 or nzahn@wyomingnews.com. Follow him on X @NoahZahnn.