Whataburger Franchisee Has Partnered With Layne’s Chicken Fingers

One franchisee of Whataburger, which is best known for its famous burgers, iconic orange-and-white-striped restaurants, and Fancy Ketchup, has decided to branch out with a new brand.

The Thomas family has spent many years as a Whataburger-only franchisee, with 23 current locations in Texas, but they announced in July that they partnered with Layne’s Chicken Fingers to open 25 restaurants in East Texas.

Nation’s Restaurant News spoke with Taylor Thomas, who shared how his father got his first franchise with Whataburger in 1989. After getting a degree in business, Thomas took over his family’s Whataburger franchise beginning in 2015.

He also discussed his new partnership with Layne’s Chicken Fingers. “I was having lunch with our real estate guy, and I’m telling him we’re trying to find the right fit for us, and nothing would stick. And then he said, ‘What about Layne’s?’ I didn’t even know what Layne’s was, to be honest, but he had a contact and we got in touch with them.”

Thomas continued, “It was obvious right from the beginning how family-oriented it all was, and how excited everybody was in the Layne’s community, and how they were open to ideas and wanted to push the brand forward. Normally, franchises don’t really want your input. But we’re not here to work for somebody: we want to work with somebody. And Layne’s had all of that… It just felt like a real tight family atmosphere.”

Whataburger vs. Layne’s Chicken Fingers

Taylor Thomas revealed that although he has signed a deal to open 25 Layne’s Chicken Fingers locations, with the first scheduled to open in January 2025, he has “zero desire to get away from being a Whataburger family.”

He explained, “We hope there’s more opportunities down the road with Whataburger too. We want to continue to grow as a company. We understand [there are] going to be some challenges involved with that, but we feel confident we can work through it with both brands.”

When seeking out another brand to add alongside Whataburger, Thomas noted that he was looking for family atmosphere, a brand that “knew who they were,” and another Texas brand. “They just have a different feel and different pride,” he told Nation’s Restaurant News.