To Go BIG, the Founder of Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux Went ‘SMALLS’

The co-founder of Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux brings forward-thinking ideas and Southern hospitality to his endeavors — whether that’s the popular sports concept or the fast-growing QSR Smalls Sliders. Now he wants to bring his “Smalls” cheeseburgers to a big stage.

Watch to learn about a new type of franchise, the intersection of sports and hospitality, and creating Smalls Sliders with Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees.

#entrepreneur #smallssliders #walkons

@calibbqmedia @entrepreneur @WalkOnsSportsBistreaux

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Chapters:

[02:51] - Embracing Southern Hospitality
[05:56] - From Basketball to Walk-On’s Sports
[08:45] - Growing a Restaurant Business
[11:13] - Full-Service to Quick-Service
[18:17] - How to Create a Marketing Buzz

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Brandon Landry loves basketball, but he was built for business.

The co-founder of Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux brings big thinking and Southern hospitality to his endeavors — whether that’s the popular sports concept, his fine dining Supper Club, or the fast-growing QSR Smalls Sliders.

Walk-On’s story began when founders Brandon Landry and Jack Warner were both Louisiana State University basketball team “walk-ons” at the turn of the millennium — determined to prove their worth on the team despite not being the star players.

“I realized pretty early on in my career that I wasn't going to play in the NBA,” said Brandon Landry to Shawn Walchef of Cali BBQ Media (https://calibbq.media).

Brandon and Jack became business partners when they opened the first Walk-On’s next to Tiger Stadium at their alma mater of LSU in 2003.

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux has been big from the beginning. The family friendly sports bar and cajun cuisine concept has impressed culinary fans and sports fans for more than 20 years. ESPN even called Walk-On’s the best Sports Bar in America.

Walk-On’s Sports restaurants grossed an average of $4.8 million in revenue per location in 2022. In 2023, 20 Walk-On’s were opened, which was 5 more than the year before.

It’s a real entrepreneur success story. But even with Walk-On’s growth, Brandon Landry knew he could create a franchise restaurant business that was easier to enter and simpler to scale.

Enter Smalls Sliders.

The Atlanta-based chain encourages people to #slidethru their fast drive-thru lanes or “camp out at our Can.” The Can is a clever name for the prefabricated modular Smalls Sliders building that is not only affordable, but easy to set-up.

The 750-square-foot “Can” dining room-free design can be set-up at a prepared site in only 30 minutes. It costs around $1.5 million to open a Smalls Sliders Can.

Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees is co-owner of Smalls Sliders as well as a partner at Walk-On’s Sports restaurant.


Episode Links:
Walk-On’s Website: https://walk-ons.com/
Small Sliders Website: https://smallssliders.com/
Brandon Landry Entrepreneur Feature: https://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/a-former-walk-on-brings-a-walk-on-mentality-to-franchising/459593

ABOUT BRANDON LANDRY —

Brandon Landry is the founder of Walk On’s Sports Bistreaux and the Smalls Sliders QSR franchises. Since the early days at the first Walk-On’s restaurant in the shadow of LSU’s Tiger Stadium (where he attended and played for the basketball team), the same commitment that drove Brandon to succeed on the court has enabled him to succeed as a restaurateur. Walk-On’s has grown to numerous locations across the southeast U.S. and is expanding rapidly across the country. So is his Smalls Sliders concept which is continuing to scale at a fast pace.

Brandon Landry LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-landry-b58793132/

ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS —

Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast series presented by Entrepreneur Media and Cali BBQ Media. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with business leaders like Rob Dyrdek, Robert Irvine, Stratis Morfogen, Chris Comparato, Meredith Sandland, Jon Taffer, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online.

Published by Entrepreneur Media - https://entreprenuer.com
Produced by Cali BBQ Media - https://content.calibbq.media

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