September 6th tent party will celebrate decade of success while giving back
The last 12 months have been quite a ride for Brandon Landry and Jack Warner, founders of Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar.
Last October, the Walk-On’s location in New Orleans was voted the “Best Sports Bar in North America” by ESPN. In February, Warner and Landry were named Baton Rouge’s Young Businesspersons of the Year for 2013.
And on Friday, September 6th, the restaurateurs and former LSU basketball team walk-ons will celebrate their first decade in business…a milestone many local observers never dreamed possible back in the early 2000s when the burgeoning entrepreneurs were just getting started.
“It sounds like an overused sports cliché, but in our case it’s really true that nobody gave us any respect in the early years,” said Warner, co-founder and owner of Walk-On’s and its parent company, Last In Concepts. “So we’ve had a little bit of a chip on our shoulders for the last decade, refusing to let the skeptics have the last laugh. We’ve learned a helluva lot along the way and I couldn’t be more proud of how far we’ve come, with the help of more talented people than I can even remember.”
Walk-On’s 10th anniversary celebration will crank up at 7:00 PM and run through 2:00 AM, at the original Walk-On’s on Burbank Drive across from the LSU campus. A $10 cover charge will be collected at the door, entitling each adult guest to a free can of Tin Roof beer. All cover charges will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation as a token of the owners’ appreciation for all the support they have received from the local community since September 2003.
In addition, all past employees of Last In Concepts, parent company of the five original concepts developed by Warner and Landry – Walk-On’s, Happy’s Irish Pub, The Roux House, Schlittz & Giggles and Walk-On’s Catering – have been invited back to attend the party, which will double as a reunion.
“Jack and I have stood on the shoulders of a great team of hard-working people, so it’s important to us to invite as many of them back as possible to join the celebration,” said Landry. “We’re going to put on an epic bash that’s been ten years in the making, and we have every intention of raising a lot of toasts and a lot of money for Make-A-Wish.”
The anniversary celebration will also feature the reunion of Lazy K, one of the most popular bands in Louisiana. Other special twists, including the unveiling of a new uniform design for the Walk-On’s waitresses, are being planned for the evening.
For more information, contact Caroline Piazza at caroline@lastinconcepts.com.
With more than 150 flat-screen TVs, Walk-On’s has become the go-to destination for great food in a great sports-themed atmosphere. Walk-On’s, voted “Best Sports Bar in North America” by ESPN, is the place to go to cheer on the local teams, and to enjoy all the biggest sporting events of the year. In addition to Walk-On’s, Last In Concepts has developed and implemented four other original concepts: The Roux House, Happy’s Irish Pub, Schlittz & Giggles and Walk-On’s Catering. The company now operates eight restaurants in Baton Rouge, Lafayette and New Orleans. For more information, visit www.lastinconcepts.com.
