Start a Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: #191 Ranked #134 last year

Initial investment: $1.6M - $7.1M

Units as of 2024: 79 49.1% over 3 years

Jack Warner and Brandon Landry first met at the Louisiana State University basketball team as walk-ons (unrecruited and unsigned athletes). Their friendship quickly extended beyond the basketball court after discovering their shared hopes and interests in a business. They founded Walk-on's Sports Bistreaux in 2003, bringing their dream of running a restaurant with live sport-watching to fruition.

Walk On's Sports Bistreaux has gone ahead to build a strong brand and is quickly becoming one of the leading favorites in family sports bars and game day gourmets. Since beginning to franchise in 2015, Walk-on's Sports Bistreaux has grown rapidly, with over 70 locations open and operating in the United States. They are actively seeking to expand even further.

Why You May Want to Open a Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux Franchise

Walk On's Sports Bistreaux believes that their brand popularity is a direct result of your operations as a franchisee. Therefore, they seek to showcase dedication to you by providing you with the information you may need to help you decide if you wish to open a Walk-on’s Sports Bistreaux franchise. They also generally support you in starting your operation.

As a Walk-on's Sports Bistreaux franchisee, you may receive marketing support with brand-consistent designs and templates for use in both outdoor and in-store marketing. You might also receive a marketing manual with information on launching and marketing your new store.

Walk On's Sports Bistreaux usually offers a few weeks of training to your newly hired team. This training will be focused on teaching you and your team how to run a new restaurant effectively. Additional incentives may include a national tenant representative to help you locate an ideal site for your business. Franchisees may also receive a list of approved suppliers in architecture, construction, and equipment to utilize in their project setting.

What Might Make a Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux Franchise a Good Choice?

Walk On's Sports Bistreaux has been ranked in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 a few times in recent years. This ranking is based on an evaluation of more than 150 data points including areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.

To be part of the Walk On's Sports Bistreaux team, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. You should also be prepared for ongoing fees that will include advertising fees and royalty fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company's set net worth and liquid capital requirements. You may also be required to pay for the training of you and your staff.

As part of the contract agreement, franchisees may need to be prepared to open three or more units in four years.

How To Start a Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux Franchise

To begin your journey of becoming a Walk On's Sports Bistreaux franchisee, complete and submit a franchise application form. Next, you will likely visit a Walk-on's Sports Bistreaux location of your choice and speak with other franchisees. This might give you a one-on-one experience with owning and running a Walk-on's Sports Bistreaux franchise. After that, you usually complete an on-the-job experience, where you and your operating team may spend a day in a Walk-on's Sports Bistreaux location to gain firsthand experience of operations.

Soon after, you may complete a business plan based on what you have learned and then submit it for review. The final steps in becoming a Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux franchisee are attending a discovery day at headquarters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and participating in a personal interview with the executive team.

Company Overview

About Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Sports Bars/Pubs, Miscellaneous Full-Service Restaurants
Founded	2003
Leadership	Christopher Dawson, CEO
Corporate Address	2 Ravinia Dr. N.E., #505 Atlanta, GA 30346
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2015 (10 years)
# of employees at HQ	50
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Wyoming This company is offering new franchises in the following international regions: Middle East, Europe (Western), Canada, Mexico
# of Units	79 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$60,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$1,554,500 - $7,056,300
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$1,500,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$500,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	10% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	5%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	3%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	230-370 hours
Classroom Training	49-59 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	Yes
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes