Layne’s Chicken Fingers opens first Rockwall location April 18, free food for year for first 100 guests

Rockwall’s first Layne’s Chicken Fingers will open at 1801 S Goliad St. on April 18, and the chain is using a big opening-day draw to bring customers through the door: the first 100 dine-in guests will receive free Layne’s for a year.

The restaurant lands on Goliad Street, where Layne’s official locations page lists the Rockwall store as coming soon at 1801 S Goliad St., Rockwall, TX 75087, with phone number 972-823-6111. The Texas-born chain is leaning on the menu that built its name in College Station, including hand-breaded crispy tenders, sauces, Texas toast-stacked sandwiches and the Chicken Club Sandwich, which features three crispy tenders, brisket bacon, American cheese and Layne’s Sauce.

For Rockwall, the opening adds another quick-service chicken option in a category that has become crowded across North Texas. It also gives Goliad Street another high-interest storefront in a corridor that already captures a large share of the city’s retail demand. Rockwall County’s population rose from 107,819 in the 2020 census to an estimated 137,044 in 2024, while Rockwall city grew from 47,251 to 53,547 over the same period. The county recorded $439.708 million in accommodation and food services sales in 2022 and $3.297495 billion in retail sales, underscoring why restaurant openings can matter well beyond one meal.

Franchise owner Jawad Rawra will run the Rockwall location. His background stretches from early work at AT&T Wireless to becoming a T-Mobile Premium Retailer, and 1851 Franchise reported that he built a 120-location telecom network before moving into hospitality with Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt hotel franchises. That kind of operating experience matters in a market where a new restaurant can quickly become part of the daily routine if it is well managed and easy to reach.

Layne’s was founded in College Station in 1994 by Mike Layne, and the chain began franchising in 2021 as it expanded beyond its original Texas A&M base. Layne’s now describes itself as a fast-growing, 40-plus-location franchise, and the Rockwall opening will add a new local stop for Goliad Street customers looking for a straightforward chicken-finger meal and a rare opening perk that is likely to pull a crowd on day one.