Franchising

Layne's Chicken Fingers flies into Pittsburgh

Provided

June 16, 2022

Layne's Chicken Fingers has plans for Pittsburgh with five restaurants across the city. Henry Wang, principal of TMD Holdings and 3E Group, has joined forces with Erik Mansmann, director of operations at 3E Franchise, to bring the brand to their hometown, according to a press release.

"To be able to have something as rich in history as Layne's and to be the first franchisee outside of Texas is really exciting," Mansmann said in the release. "To be able to work with Henry and our team to take this and make it even larger in the way we plan to is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us. I'm so excited about it."

After many years in corporate America, both Wang and Mansmann decided it was time for a change.

"What I do is I'm a diehard entrepreneur. I graduated from Carnegie Mellon — a real nerd. My family is first-generation immigrants and very entrepreneurial, and I've always had the idea of the American dream in my mind," Wang said in the release. "My philosophy has always been to find people who are passionate; If you're passionate, we can always make things work. When we first met Erik, he showed me that his energy was there; he had paid his dues, and he was a real unicorn."

"We're very excited," Samir Wattar, Layne's Chicken COO, said in the release. "We met Henry and Erik about four months ago, and they bring a lot to the table. Erik has been in operations for a long time and has worked for companies like Panera and Chipotle. We feel like they will be a great partner for us, and entering a new market with people like that is very exciting."