Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux has released a more detailed look at the streamlined restaurant prototype it first announced in August, outlining the layout, equipment and design choices that will shape its next generation of sports bars.
The first store built to the new format is scheduled to open early next year at 8150 Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the brand's home market. The company describes the concept as a "next-generation sports bar model."
A Smaller Footprint
The prototype is designed by Livit, a restaurant design firm based in Madrid, and targets stores of 3,500 to 4,500 square feet, a smaller format than a traditional Walk-On's, which spans 7,000 to 8,000-plus square feet.
The Baton Rouge location will be approximately 3,688 square feet and seat 125 guests. According to the company, the smaller format is intended to help operators make better use of space, improve operations and create a more engaging guest experience.
Back-of-House and Front-of-House Changes
In the back of house, the new stores will use equipment additions that include clamshell griddles. Walk-On's says these changes are meant to simplify training, improve consistency and reduce ticket times while still allowing the kitchen to serve the full Walk-On's menu.
In the front of house, the bar remains the center of the restaurant, configured in a peninsula style that can adapt to different layouts. Near the hostess stand, pickup cubbies are designed to handle off-premise orders without disrupting the flow of dine-in service.
A "Kit of Parts" Approach
Instead of one fixed floor plan, the design is built as a flexible "kit of parts." This lets franchisees select or add key elements based on their market, site and personal preference, according to the release. Renderings of the concept were provided by Livit.
The prototype draws on lessons from existing Walk-On's restaurants, including its 3,700-square-foot location at The Battery in Atlanta. That store showed the brand can deliver its full menu and sports-bar experience in a more compact, inline format, and Walk-On's says it is applying those learnings to a purpose-built prototype intended to give franchisees more options.
Leadership Perspective
Brandon Landry, CEO and co-founder of Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux, said the company wanted to rethink what the Walk-On's experience could look like without losing what makes it Walk-On's. He said the new design gives franchisees more flexibility in where and how they build, while keeping the energy, hospitality and community connection 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 has more than 80 locations nationwide.