Growing Cajun-inspired sports bar chain Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux is swinging for the fences with a new concept location planned for The Battery Atlanta. The new prototype restaurant will be smaller than the chain's typical locations and is feature the brand's newest design elements.
The intimate size will feature a "bar-centric" space in which guests can enjoy the "Everyday is Game Day" experience with 50+ TVs and signature menu items from the full Walk-On’s menu, including Mozzarella Logs, Fried Alligator, Bayou Pasta, Redfish Tacos, and the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.
The new Walk-On's is being opened by Port Royal Brands, an Atlanta-based hospitality group that this past November signed a 20+ unit development deal for Walk-On's locations throughout Georgia and Tennessee.
Brandon Landry, a former "walk-on" basketball player at LSU, opened the original Walk-On's in 2003 and brought in former Saints quarterback and likely future hall of famer Drew Brees as an investor and ambassador for the brand in 2015.
The brand, which today counts about 80 restaurants, announced in June 2019 it had signed franchise development deals for new locations in Columbus, Augusta and Savannah with the goal of having 20 units open across Georgia by 2024. The pandemic, supply chain disruptions and economic challenges no doubt slowed the chain's growth.
The brand ultimately entered the Georgia market in November 2022 with a unit in Warner Robins. Walk-On's opened its first unit in metro Atlanta in August 2023 when they debuted in a roughly 6,900 square foot space at The Avenue West Cobb along Dallas Highway in West Cobb County.
These two locations are currently the brand's sole presence in Georgia.
Walk-On's this past February moved its corporate headquarters from Baton Rouge to metro Atlanta. Restaurant Dive, an industry trade magazine, reported this past November that Walk-On's plans to open several new corporate locations in metro Atlanta in 2025. The new restaurants, expected to be about 50% smaller than current Walk-On's locations, will also feature refreshed exterior and interior design, in addition to technological upgrades to their kitchen equipment.
The new Walk-On's at The Battery is expected to open later this summer, whereas Shake Shack, a restaurant we first announced November 3 was also opening in the project, is on track to open in the spring.
Have you been to Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux? Are you pleased by the recent changes at The Battery Atlanta? What other types of shops or restaurants would you like to see open at The Battery Atlanta?
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