Walk-On’s Enterprises, the Baton Rouge-based owner and operator of Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar, has officially launched its franchising program and is aggressively sourcing qualified franchisees to grow the sports bar concept across the Southeastern United States. Having developed a distinctive niche, the chain is especially interested in expansion opportunities in college towns. “The next logical step in the evolution of Walk-On’s is franchising, and now that we have the people, processes and policies in place, we’re ready to roll,” said Brandon Landry, co-founder of Walk-On’s Enterprises. At the beginning of 2014, Walk-On’s partnered with a financial group to expand its footprint further in Louisiana and ultimately beyond the state’s borders. In August, Walk-On’s announced the hiring of new key players to bolster its corporate support team. Craig Schlick joined the company as Vice President, Development, Shauna Reader joined as Director of Training and Mike Turner joined as Vice President, Culinary Training. The company also recently announced that it is scouting locations in downtown Baton Rouge for its first Walk-On’s Halfcourt, a scaled-down version of the original that will serve as a model for future development in similar downtown sites and airports. Earlier in the year, the company announced that it would to introduce the Halfcourt concept in an adjacent location to its Happy’s Irish Pub in Baton Rouge however these plans were later abandoned and the company chose to expand Happy’s into the space. From a design on the back of a napkin in 2001, Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar has grown to become something of an institution in Louisiana having been voted ESPN’s ‘Best Sports Bar in North America’ in 2012. Today there are four restaurants in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Lafayette.
CATEGORY: Casual Sports Bar
Chain Name: Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar
Company Name: Walk-On’s Enterprises
Street Address: 232 3rd St., Suite 100, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70801
Tel: 225/330-4533 Fax: 225/330-4487
Email: contact@walkonsenterprises.com Website: www.walk-ons.com
Menu Specialty: Southern Louisiana menu including gumbos and soupsd, burgers and fries, sandwiches and poboys, wraps and salads and Louisiana specialties including Gulf Shrimp, catfish, crawfish, chicken, etc.
Introduced: August 2003 by Jack Warner and Brandon Landry in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Launched franchise program in 2014.
No. of Locations: Four restaurants in Baton Rouge, Lafayette and New Orleans
Areas of Operation: Southeast United States
Types of Location:
BusinessType (corp., franchise, jv): Franchises
Size Req’d: Approximately 7500 sq.ft., Halfcourt concept approximately 2500 to 3000 sq.ft.
Special Requirements (patio, drive-thru, etc):
Contact Name: Brandon Landry – Co-founder
Scott Taylor – President, COO
Craig Schlick – Vice President, Development
Mike Turner – Vice President, Culinary Training
Shauna Reader – Director of Training
REAL ESTATE REPRESENTATIVES:
FRANCHISE REPRESENTATIVES:
PARENT COMPANY: Walk-On’s Enterprises
Related Chains: Happy’s Irish Pub, The Rampart Room, Walk-On’s Catering
Last Report: Restaurant & QSR Expansion Report #123 Last Update:
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