Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux has offered a closer look at the streamlined prototype it first announced in August, a format the chain calls its "next-generation sports bar model." The first store using the design is set to open early next year at 8150 Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Designed by Madrid-based restaurant design firm Livit, the prototype is intended for smaller stores of 3,500 to 4,500 square feet. According to the company, the aim is to help operators maximize space, improve operations and create a more engaging guest experience. For comparison, a traditional Walk-On's spans 7,000 to more than 8,000 square feet. The planned Baton Rouge store is approximately 3,688 square feet and will seat 125 guests.
Back-of-house and bar changes
In the back of house, the design adds equipment such as clamshell griddles, which the company says are intended to simplify training, improve consistency and reduce ticket times without giving up the ability to serve the full Walk-On's menu.
In the front of house, the bar remains the center of the restaurant, arranged in a peninsula-style configuration that can adapt to different layouts. Pickup cubbies placed near the hostess stand are designed to fill off-premise orders without disrupting the flow of the restaurant.
A flexible "kit of parts"
Rather than relying on a single fixed layout, the prototype is built as a flexible "kit of parts." This approach allows franchisees to select or add key elements based on their market, site and personal preference, according to the company.
The design draws on lessons from Walk-On's existing restaurants, including a 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 says. Walk-On's is now applying those learnings to what it describes as a "purpose-built prototype" meant to give franchisees more options.
Leadership perspective and brand background
"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."
Walk-On's was founded in 2003 in Baton Rouge by LSU Basketball walk-ons Landry and Jack Warner. The brand now has more than 80 locations nationwide.