Layne's Chicken Fingers Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Layne's Chicken Fingers franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Layne's Chicken Fingers discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Gross revenue data for 15 franchised restaurants operating full 2025 calendar year. Traditional average $2.21M (range $1.54M-$2.95M); non-traditional average $1.26M (range $591K-$2.49M). Only 41.7% of outlets met/exceeded average. Unaudited data; excludes 21 newer locations.
What a Layne's Chicken Fingers franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 7% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $481,500 – $1,555,000 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
5% royalty + 2% brand dev + up to 5% local coop ad (currently 0%) + 1% local marketing minimum. POS $400-600/mo. Tech fee capped $500/mo or $6K/yr (+10% annual increase allowed).
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Layne's Chicken Fingers system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 40 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
Zero terminations/closures in 2025; rapid growth (21 new units) suggests system strength but scale limited.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Layne's Chicken Fingers worth it? — how it compares to 164 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 7% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $481,500 | about average (median $481,500) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 1.3%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every quick service restaurants franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Layne's Chicken Fingers
The franchisor's framing: Gross revenue data for 15 franchised restaurants operating full 2025 calendar year. Tradit… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
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Layne's Chicken Fingers franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Layne's Chicken Fingers franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $481,500–$1,555,000, including a $50,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Layne's Chicken Fingers franchise owners make?
- Gross revenue data for 15 franchised restaurants operating full 2025 calendar year. Traditional average $2.21M (range $1.54M-$2.95M); non-traditional average $1.26M (range $591K-$2.49M). Only 41.7% of outlets met/exceeded average. Unaudited data; excludes 21 newer locations. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Layne's Chicken Fingers franchise fees?
- Layne's Chicken Fingers' FDD discloses a $50,000 initial franchise fee, a 5% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 7% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 5% royalty + 2% brand dev + up to 5% local coop ad (currently 0%) + 1% local marketing minimum. POS $400-600/mo. Tech fee capped $500/mo or $6K/yr (+10% annual increase allowed).
- What is the Layne's Chicken Fingers franchise profit margin?
- Layne's Chicken Fingers does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Gross revenue data for 15 franchised restaurants operating full 2025 calendar year. Traditional average $2.21M (range $1.54M-$2.95M); non-traditional average $1.26M (range $591K-$2.49M). Only 41.7% of outlets met/exceeded average. Unaudited data; excludes 21 newer locations. Recurring fees alone take about 7% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the Layne's Chicken Fingers franchise failure rate?
- Zero terminations/closures in 2025; rapid growth (21 new units) suggests system strength but scale limited.
- How many Layne's Chicken Fingers locations are there?
- Layne's Chicken Fingers' FDD reports 40 total outlets, with 0 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 0 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Layne's Chicken Fingers have complaints or lawsuits?
- Layne's Chicken Fingers discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a Layne's Chicken Fingers franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Layne's Chicken Fingers scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 7% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Layne's Chicken Fingers or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.