Walk-On's next-generation prototype will run 3,500 to 4,500 square feet — roughly half the size of its traditional sports bars, which span 7,000 to more than 8,000 square feet. The company is targeting development costs below $2 million for the new format, a threshold it sees as critical for franchise expansion as construction expenses keep climbing.

The first location is scheduled to open in early 2027 on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It will measure roughly 3,688 square feet and seat 125 guests.

Walk-On's developed the prototype with Livit, a Madrid-based restaurant design firm. The system works as a modular "kit of parts," letting franchisees adjust features to fit their market, available real estate, and operating preferences. That flexibility is the point: smaller boxes open sites that were previously uneconomical for a brand built on expansive dining rooms and large gathering spaces.

CEO and cofounder Brandon Landry framed the design challenge directly. "We wanted to rethink what the Walk-On's experience can look like without losing what makes us Walk-On's," he said in a statement. "The new design gives our franchisees more flexibility in where and how they build, while keeping the energy, hospitality and community connection our guests know and love."

What changes inside the box?

The kitchen gets a redesign built around clamshell grills and other equipment intended to simplify employee training, improve food consistency, and cut ticket times. Despite the smaller kitchen, Walk-On's plans to keep its full menu — no menu engineering to trim the lineup, at least for now.

The front of house leans flexible. A peninsula-style bar adapts to different floor plans. A large television wall and upgraded audiovisual equipment carry the sports-bar identity. A lounge area can absorb game-day groups or add dining capacity when needed.

Off-premises gets its own infrastructure. Dedicated pickup cubbies near the host stand will hold DoorDash, Uber Eats, and other delivery orders, keeping third-party pickup traffic away from the dine-in flow.

Local sports memorabilia — high school jerseys, athlete displays — ties each unit to its community. An outdoor television wall extends the format to the patio, and the host stand doubles as a merchandise station.

Why the smaller footprint?

The economics drive this. A build below $2 million changes the math for franchisees weighing real estate that a 7,000-plus-square-foot box couldn't touch — inline slots, tighter infill parcels, smaller markets.

Walk-On's already has proof of concept. Its roughly 3,700-square-foot restaurant at The Battery in Atlanta demonstrated, per the company, that the full menu and sports bar experience can run in a smaller inline space.

What does this change for franchisees? Simply put: more sites pencil. The kit-of-parts approach means the brand can chase locations by size and cost rather than forcing every deal into one large-format template.

The Baton Rouge opening in early 2027 will be the first live test of whether the shrunken box delivers the full-service experience at the lower build cost — and whether it becomes the default for future franchise growth.

By Olivia Hart