May 1—CHEYENNE — Layne’s Chicken Fingers, a Texas-based chicken store, may be coming to Cheyenne. The company announced in late April its intention to expand into the capital, and possibly Laramie.
Michael Hickerson worked at the original Layne’s in College Station, Texas, while attending school 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 began 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 was just another chicken shop with the same name. However, as it turns out, Layne’s began franchising in 2021 and now has more than 15 locations open across the country.
Since then, Hickerson has been toying with the idea of franchising and bringing the Texas brand to the Cowboy State.
“A few times the thought has crossed my mind, ‘I wonder if I could talk to the old owner about opening Layne’s here,’ because I think it would work well and, selfishly, I’d happily eat it .Again,” Hickerson said.
He identified Cheyenne as a potential location to pursue his career change due to its larger market compared to Laramie and the lack of other stores specific to chicken tenders. 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 – with their own spices, homemade sauces, sandwiches and wraps, too.
“It seems to be getting a little bit more popular,” Hickerson said of stores specializing in chicken offerings. “I’m not sure how to say this nicely, 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 as I already said: I enjoyed it myself.”
He is currently in the process of finding a spot in Cheyenne or Laramie for the new Layne’s, whichever 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 becomes available. Overall, he estimates it will be about a year before the chicken shop opens somewhere in southeastern Wyoming.
Hickerson has never owned a restaurant franchise before, but he is confident in his abilities thanks to his business knowledge from a banking background and the support of the established franchise. While his goal is to open stores in Cheyenne and Laramie, he said he is open to the possibility of expanding across the Front Range at some point in the future.
“I’d like to set one up and see how it goes, maybe open a second one in Laramie, if we can, and see how we can grow and expand it store by store,” he said.
Hickerson expected to open a location this time next year, depending on if, when and where he can find a piece of land.
Founded in 1994, Layne’s Chicken Fingers currently has 16 restaurants across four states, with four more scheduled to open, including its only location in Wyoming. Since launching into franchising in 2021, the brand has franchised 226 restaurants. The goal is to have opened 50 branches and sold 200 by 2025.
Noah Zahn is the local government and business reporter for the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. He can be reached at 307-633-3128 or nzahn@wyomingnews.com. Follow him on X @NoahZahnn.
