San Marcos students have a new place to grab chicken fingers on campus as Layne’s Chicken Fingers opened its newest location at Texas State University.
The College Station-born restaurant celebrated the grand opening of its Texas State location on Tuesday, September 1, adding another dining option to the popular university as students return for the fall semester.
The opening marks Layne’s second location in San Marcos. The chicken finger chain previously expanded into the city, bringing its signature tenders, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast and secret sauce to the growing Central Texas community.
Texas State mascots Boko, the university’s male mascot, and Koko, its female mascot, celebrate the opening of Layne’s new campus location in San Marcos. (Courtesy of Texas State University)
The new location arrives as Texas State continues to attract record numbers of students. The university enrolled 41,734 students during the spring 2026 semester, surpassing 40,000 students for the first time. Enrollment jumped 11% from the previous spring, an increase of 4,135 students.
Layne’s got its start in College Station in 1994, when founder Mike Layne opened the original restaurant. The company has since expanded while maintaining its focus on chicken fingers, friendly service and its signature sauce.
Texas State University officials join Layne’s representatives for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the chicken finger restaurant’s new campus location, which opened September 1. (Courtesy of Texas State University)
The menu features three-, four- and five-finger meals, along with chicken and club sandwiches. Meals come with crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast and a 22-ounce drink.
Texas State Hospitality shared photos from the recent grand opening on Instagram, thanking everyone who attended and saying it looks forward to serving the university community throughout the semester.
“We loved celebrating with you and look forward to serving you all semester long,” the post read.
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This article originally published at Raising Cane’s rival opens new Texas college location.
