Layne’s Chicken Fingers Spreads Its Wings to Utah

Layne’s Chicken Fingers must be proof that Utah can never have enough fried chicken places. Layne’s, a Texas-based chicken-tenders chain, opened in Clearfield at the end of January. It’s typical of the current crop of fried chicken restaurants — a fast-casual, order-at-the-counter format, and a simple menu of chicken fingers, Texas toast, fries and shakes.  

  Sadly, as Layne’s opened its doors in January, another beloved fried chicken restaurant closed. Farmington’s Red Barn Chicken (previously known as Sticky Bird) was shuttered in February, and the future was questionable for all the operations of Red Barn Academy, a life skills program to help men recover from addictions. Red Barn Chicken provided culinary training for the clients at the Academy, and the crispy, tender chicken will be missed! I reached out to the former restaurant manager, and she said she wasn’t sure about the Academy’s future. A local realtor had posted in February on FB that the restaurant and the property was for sale, but the posts have since disappeared. So far, the Red Barn Chicken restaurant remains closed.

  Back to Layne’s — the Clearfield restaurant opened in January, and the franchise owners plan to open 15 locations in Utah over the next several years.

  I recently interviewed owners Scott and Heather Davis for a Standard-Examiner story.

Which came first, Layne’s or Cane’s? People might assume that Layne’s is a copycat of the super-popular Raising Cane’s. But Layne’s was actually founded in 1994, a full two years before Raising Cane’s, started in 1996.

  The Clearfield location is the first one west of Texas.  

  Layne’s was founded in College Station, Texas, and where Texas A & M students were huge fans. So Heather Davis, a Texas A & M grad, already loved the brand when she and Scott heard about the franchising opportunity.

  In fact, when they opened their Clearfield location, Heather put out the word to Texas A & M alumni, “and it was amazing how many graduates living in Utah drove 30 or 40 minutes just to come and have Layne’s chicken,” she said. “They told us so many stories and memories.”

   With its college-town roots, the brand tends to gravitate to communities and schools, rather than being out next to a freeway. So the Clearfield spot (on Antelope Avenue, where the short-lived Dirty Bird Chicken used to be) was a great location, Scott Davis said.

  “We have 10 or 12 kids from the high school who work for us part-time. We really just try to have a fun environment for our guests and for our team members.”

  They already own a Layne’s franchise in Dallas. But how did a Texas couple end up choosing Clearfield, Utah? During the Covid pandemic, they built a house outside of Park City to escape Texas’s hot summers.  While in Utah, they studied the restaurant market and decided that Layne’s would be a good fit.

  Fried chicken has long been a go-to meal in Utah, which boasts the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in 1952. In the past few years, more local and franchise chicken restaurants have hatched throughout Utah. Raising Cane’s. Pretty Bird. The Bird. Mr. Charlie’s Chicken, Super Chix. Curry Fried Chicken. Popeye’s, Zaxby’s, and of course, Chick-fil-A. Some have already flown the coop — The Crack Shack’s Utah foray was brief, with Houston TX Hot Chicken taking over their locations. And in 2022, Dirty Bird opened with a flourish in Ogden and Clearfield, only to shut down within several months.

   The fried-chicken attraction may be due to the economy, as burger bars are also springing up right now. Both are less spendy than steaks at a sit-down restaurant.

  Scott Davis said there’s been a shift in consumer preferences, with people wanting quality food they can get quickly. 

 “They’re moving away from sitting down at the table to order, and having an hour-long meal and having to tip,” he said. “Dine-in has gotten expensive.”

   Davis said that 60 percent of Layne’s sales are drive-through. The orders are bigger than they initially expected, with more family-size packs sold than individual meals.

  Chicken fingers are the star of the menu, with crispy crinkle-cut fries and Texas toast. The only salad offered is creamy potato salad, studded with sweet bits of pickle. (No cole slaw — a staple for many fried-chicken places.) The only non-fried options are a grilled chicken wrap, or grilled cheese sandwich. 

  “We want to specialize in what we do great,” said Scott Davis. “They (the company) have explored expanding the menu, but they decided to focus on what we can really do well and not deviate.”

  So if you don’t like fried chicken, this isn’t your kind of place.  

  The chicken’s tenderness comes from being marinated at least 48 hours.

  The crispy coating comes in a choice of either regular or spicy seasoning. The regular is very mild, the spicy has more kick.

  There are six choices of dipping sauces:  honey mustard, buttermilk ranch, jalapeno ranch, BBQ, gravy and Layne’s sauce. The signature Layne’s sauce has similarities to Utah fry sauce, with a stronger flavor. (My favorite? The jalapeno ranch. It has flavorful heat, tempered by the cool ranch.)

  Heather Davis didn’t expect that so many Utahns would order gravy, as “it’s more of a Southern thing,” she said. But they’re making several batches of gravy daily to keep up with the demand.

 For a variation, you can order a “club sandwich” that includes bacon, American cheese and chicken fingers, between slices of Texas toast. It’s not your typical club sandwich, as there’s no lettuce or tomato slices. But, it follows Layne’s focus of chicken , chicken and more chicken.

  If you go:

  Where: 846 W. 1700 South

  Contact: https://www.layneschickenfingers.com or 385-247-5089

  Prices: $9-15 for chicken, fries and drink combo

  Hours: Daily from 10 a.m.-midnight Monday-Saturdays, closing at 10 p.m. Sundays.