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Founder Brandon Landry spent two decades proving Walk-On\u2019s needed big restaurants. Now he\u2019s betting the opposite is true. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJon Small
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t \n\t\tOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n For two decades, Walk-On\u2019s built its identity on being big, with restaurants starting around 7,000 square feet and some stretching to 12,000. Founder and CEO Brandon Landry, who came back to the role about a year ago after a brief step away, decided that formula was actually holding the brand back. So he went another direction entirely.<\/p>\n A new location at The Battery in Atlanta opened at just 3,700 square feet, roughly half the old standard, and still pulled in $4 million in sales last year. \u201cThe script is flipped,\u201d Landry told FSR Magazine<\/a>. More restaurants that size are already in the works, including one in Birmingham, and Walk-On\u2019s expects to open around 10 new locations in 2026.<\/p>\n The smaller footprint means Walk-On\u2019s can slide into spots that never made sense before: endcaps, strip mall renovations, smaller towns that couldn\u2019t support the old model. It\u2019s also opening the door to franchisees who used to see the size and cost as a dealbreaker.<\/p>\n The timing helps too. Rivals Hooters and Twin Peaks have both filed for bankruptcy recently, and Buffalo Wild Wings hasn\u2019t grown its footprint in nearly a decade. Landry\u2019s read: everyone else is playing it safe. He\u2019s not.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tedited by
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDan Bova
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\n\t\t\t\tAug 25, 2026\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n