Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux has released more detail about the streamlined restaurant prototype it first announced in August, a smaller format the brand calls its "next-generation sports bar model." The first store of its kind is scheduled to open early next year at 8150 Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The design, created by Madrid-based restaurant design firm Livit, targets stores of 3,500 to 4,500 square feet. By comparison, a traditional Walk-On's spans 7,000 to 8,000-plus square feet. The Baton Rouge prototype is approximately 3,688 square feet and will seat 125 guests. According to the company, the format is intended to help operators maximize space, improve operations and create a more engaging guest experience.
Back-of-house and front-of-house changes
Behind the counter, the prototype adds equipment such as new clamshell griddles, which the company says are meant to simplify training, improve consistency and reduce ticket times while still allowing restaurants to serve the full Walk-On's menu. In the dining area, the bar remains the center of the restaurant, configured in a peninsula style that can adapt to different layouts. Pickup cubbies placed near the hostess stand are designed to handle off-premise orders without disrupting the flow of the restaurant.
A flexible 'kit of parts'
Rather than relying on one fixed layout, the new design is built as a flexible "kit of parts," the company says. That approach allows franchisees to select or add key elements based on their market, site and personal preference.
The prototype draws on lessons from Walk-On's existing restaurants, including a 3,700-square-foot location at The Battery in Atlanta. According to the company, that location demonstrated that Walk-On's could deliver its full menu and sports-bar experience in a more compact, inline format. The brand says it is now applying those learnings to a purpose-built prototype intended to give franchisees more options.
"We wanted to rethink what the Walk-On's experience can look like without losing what makes us Walk-On's," said Brandon Landry, CEO and co-founder of Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux. "The new design gives our franchisees more flexibility in where and how they build, while keeping the energy, hospitality and community connection our guests know and love."
Brand background
Walk-On's was founded in 2003 in Baton Rouge by Landry and Jack Warner, both former LSU Basketball walk-ons. The brand now operates more than 80 locations nationwide.