Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar was founded by two LSU walk-ons who were determined to create a restaurant backed by traits they learned on the basketball court—hard work, dedication and a commitment to excellence.
Walk-ons are athletes that are unwilling to give up on their dream of being a college athlete. Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar is recognizing this hard work and dedication by honoring a “Walk-On of the Year” from the two schools playing in the 2017 Walk-On’s Independence Bowl—Florida State and Southern Miss.
The honorees will be announced after the bowl game on Dec. 27. Also at that time, the Baton Rouge-based brand will donate $12,500 each to both of the college’s General Scholarship Funds.
“Whether you’re a walk-on or a recruit, everyone on the team is needed just as much as the next guy,” says Co-Founder Brandon Landry. “I have experienced first-hand the hard work that must be done in order to earn and keep your spot on a college team. Walk-ons work just as hard if not harder than recruited athletes but they rarely get recognized so we’re excited to showcase two outstanding walk-ons after the bowl game. We feel so strongly about walk-ons’ hard work that we are turning this into an award given annually.”
The 2017 Walk-On’s Independence Bowl will be played at the Independence Stadium in Shreveport on Wednesday, Dec. 27, at 12:30 p.m. CST. The game will also air on ESPN.
Walk-On’s now has 16 locations: four in Baton Rouge, two in New Orleans and one each in Lafayette, Houma, Shreveport, Lake Charles, Covington, Broussard and Bossier City, La., and Lubbock, San Antonio and Tyler, Texas. Other locations are coming soon in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, with several additional markets across the Southern U.S. likewise on the drawing board.
New Orleans Saints superstar Drew Brees and his wife, Brittany, bought in as co-owners in May 2015. Drew pointed out that Walk-On’s is “a great place to bring my family, teammates and business colleagues” and that they were excited to help “expand the brand across the nation.”
