Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar, voted “Best Sports Bar in North America” by ESPN in 2012, opened its newest location in Houma, Louisiana, on Tuesday.
The 8,000-square-foot restaurant, located at 1795 Martin Luther King Blvd., has more than 70 high-definition flat-screen TVs, over 50 beers on tap, custom pour-your-own table taps, a banquet facility, and a festive beer garden on the 1,800-square-foot outdoor patio.
“The people of Houma have already welcomed Walk-On’s with open arms, and we’re really grateful for that,” says Michael Smith, who brings 18 years of restaurant experience—half of it in Houma—to his role as general manager of the newest Walk-On’s. “We’ve been getting a lot of love from local businesses and residents eager for us to open our doors. They’ve been to our other restaurants across Louisiana, so they know about our unique blend of Cajun-style cuisine, outstanding service, and all the sports you can handle.”
Before the official opening, Smith hosted a private VIP night on September 6 with Walk-On’s donating 100 percent of the evening’s bar sales to CASA of Terrebonne, a non-profit organization that provides court-appointed special advocates for local children in crisis.
“Since we opened our first restaurant in 2003, the people of Louisiana have been very good to all of us at Walk-On’s, so it’s important to us to give back as often as we can,” says Brandon Landry, co-owner and founder of Walk-On’s Enterprises, which operates Walk-On’s and its sister concepts. “Our debut in Houma gives us a special chance to have some fun while helping out the volunteers at CASA and tipping our hats to the men and women in uniform.”
Landry explains that the Houma location is bigger than the typical sports bar, and includes an oversized private banquet room for special events, as well as a separate take-out area for on-the-go customers.
“We took the best elements from each of our existing Walk-On’s restaurants and put them all into Houma,” Landry says. “We think of it as our new flagship location.”
The newest Walk-On’s joins its four existing locations—two in Baton Rouge and one each in New Orleans and Lafayette. Others will follow in Shreveport, Lake Charles, Zachary and Lubbock, Texas. Several additional markets across the southern United States are likewise on the drawing board.
In May, New Orleans Saints superstar Drew Brees and his wife, Brittany, bought into Walk-On’s Enterprises as co-owners.
