Staffing

Layne's Chicken Fingers part-owner joins company as CDO

Photo: Layne's Chicken Fingers

January 23, 2024

Layne's Chicken Fingers has brought on part-owner Eric Reed as the brand's chief development officer, according to a press release.

Reed hails from Main & Main Capital Group, a development group that works closely with Layne's. Prior to joining Layne's full-time, Reed worked with Dutch Bros, Chili's and Starbucks, driving development pushes through careful market analysis and real estate strategy.

He will work alongside his brother, and CEO of Layne's, Garrett Reed.

"I've known Garrett my whole life, and we've been close our entire lives. We were always looking for ways to make money during elementary school, and we've had our little entrepreneurial ventures," Eric Reed said in the release. "We push each other and help each other, and he has been my biggest cheerleader. Even though I've been a part of successful companies in my past roles and have a huge passion for development, this is just better. It's not just development, it's developing a brand that my brother and I have built together and are building a legacy for our own kids. It's so compelling and exciting."

"We're excited for Eric to be joining us. As he's started laying the foundation for growth, we're already seeing a difference in our real estate and development processes," Samir Wattar, COO at Layne's, said in the release. "We're seeing excitement among the franchisees, and with Eric on the team, our goal of 12 new restaurants opening next year is not far-fetched whatsoever. He brings more expertise to the real estate aspect of development than we've ever had by ourselves — there's a science and expertise to it now."

Founded in 1994 in College Station, Texas, Layne's Chicken Fingers operates 13 restaurants. The brand has sold another 113.