Dive Brief:
- Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux has signed a 20-unit restaurant agreement in Georgia and Tennessee with Port Royal Brands, the company said Monday in a press release.
- The first of these units is expected to open in 2025. This is the first agreement the chain has signed since it showcased a smaller prototype with upgraded technology intended to enhance the guest experience.
- Using the same design, Walk-On’s will also be opening its first corporate store since 2016 in the Atlanta area next year. The new corporate units along with this deal with Port Royal could help push the roughly 80-unit chain to 100 units.
Dive Insight:
Walk-On’s agreement with Port Royal brings a highly experienced restaurant operator into Walk-On’s system. Port Royal’s founder and chairman, Phil Sanford, once led The Krystal Company, which he grew to roughly 400 units in 13 states, according to the press release. He also previously served as chairman and CEO of Jackson Hewitt Tax Services.
Port Royal’s CEO Jef Wallace also has “expertise in strategy creation and transformation execution” at several global restaurant brands, per the press release. He has a background in real estate, supply chain, operations and finance.
The new restaurants, which will be half the size of Walk-On’s traditional restaurants, feature a refreshed exterior and interior design in addition to various technological upgrades. The dining room will center around a bar with enough television screens for customers to have a view regardless of where they are sitting. Additionally, there will be a patio for customers to play various lawn games, like cornhole.
“Our strategy for the new restaurant prototype was to enable sustainable profit growth for Walk-On's and our franchisees,” Jennifer Striepling, Walk-On’s chief development officer said in a statement.
