Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux is offering a closer look at the inner workings of the streamlined prototype it announced in August. The first such store is set to open early next year at 8150 Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The "next-generation sports bar model," designed by Madrid-based restaurant design firm Livit, is aimed at stores of 3,500 to 4,500 square feet, compared with 7,000 to 8,000-plus square feet for a traditional Walk-On's. The Baton Rouge location will measure approximately 3,688 square feet and seat 125 guests. According to the release, the smaller 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
In the back of house, new clamshell griddles and other equipment additions are designed to simplify training, improve consistency and reduce ticket times without losing the ability to serve the chain's full menu, according to the release.
Out front, the bar remains the center of the restaurant, using a peninsula-style configuration that can adapt to different layouts. Pickup cubbies positioned near the hostess stand are intended to fill off-premise orders without disrupting restaurant flow.
The operational changes are concentrated in two areas. On the kitchen line, the new griddles are paired with other equipment additions the company says will make preparation more consistent. In the dining and bar area, the peninsula bar design and the pickup cubbies at the hostess stand are meant to serve dine-in guests and off-premise orders from the same compact footprint.
A flexible "kit of parts"
The design is not built around one fixed layout. Instead, it is assembled as a flexible "kit of parts," allowing franchisees to select or add key elements based on market, site and personal preference.
Walk-On's says the prototype builds on lessons from its existing restaurants, including its roughly 3,700-square-foot location at The Battery in Atlanta. That store demonstrated that the brand could deliver its full menu and sports-bar experience in a more compact, inline format. The company is applying those learnings to a purpose-built prototype meant 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."
Company background
Founded in 2003 in Baton Rouge by Landry and Jack Warner, both former LSU Basketball walk-ons, Walk-On's now has more than 80 locations nationwide.