YOU NEED TO KNOW…
September 16, 2015
Should I stay or should I go now?
September 16, 2015
A couple hundred diners and sports fans finally got off the bench and lined up for the first-look at the new Walk-On’s
Bistreaux & Bar in Houma at its grand opening last Thursday.
Voted ESPN Mobile’s Best Sports Bar in North America, the Baton Rouge-born Walk-On’s now has five locations throughout Louisiana.
Walk-On’s in Houma has already hired 250 people and is still taking applications, said Brandon Landry, co-founder and owner of Baton Rouge-based Walk-On’s Enterprises.
In an earlier story, The Times reported that the Walk-On’s in Houma would hire more people at first, in order to handle the high volume of new customers. Landry told the Times the restaurant will bring between 120 and 150 new jobs to Houma.
Landry said that the Houma location is projected to bring in $6 million in sales annually.
“We’re excited to be a part of this parish and to hopefully bring a good economic impact to this area,” Landry said.
One new waitress, Megan Bourg, said that the coming of Walk-On’s is representative of the explosive growth Houma has experienced in the last few years, but nothing to offer in the way of a quality sports bar.
Bourg said that she’s worked in many restaurants but has never worked at one where she liked every item on the menu.
“The atmosphere is … alive,” Bourg said. “People are huge Saints fans, huge football fans, baseball fans, basketball fans and this is a huge place that people can go to actually enjoy that.”
The 8,000-square-foot restaurant is decked with Louisiana Cypress wood, exposed ducting, 70-plus high-definition flatscreen TVs, more than 50 beers on tap, custom pour-your-own table taps, a VIP room and banquet facilities. There’s even a beer garden on an outdoor patio.
The patio area has retractable garage-door styled windows that can be closed during poor weather or when air conditioning is required, Landry said.
The restaurant is a great place to watch a game and grab some good food, but at least one member of the staff believes that the price of oil may have a negative effect on her tips.
“I work at the bar, so usually it’s all guys that sit at the bar,” said bartender Jenna Pitre. “Guys at the bar always say that: ‘Yeah, we don’t really go out anymore.'”
Despite that, Pitre’s spirits are up. She believes that Walk-On’s has “the best food in Houma, probably.”
“And I’m a picky eater,” she said. “So when I like something, it’s saying a lot.”
