Walk-On’s opens its first Mississippi Coast restaurant. Take a look inside.
Mix sports with a cajun menu — then toss in a dash of Drew Brees notoriety — and you get Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, opening Monday in D’Iberville.
The ribbon cutting was at 10 a.m. Monday.
The restaurant at 11181 Mandal Parkway is smoke-free and has seats for more than 200 at the bar, in the dining rooms and at a bench for people who want to linger after they eat and watch football or play games. The restaurant is handicapped accessible.
General manager Eric Reynolds counted 56 televisions throughout the new restaurant. They surround the bar, are visible from every seat in the dining rooms and are mounted in the front windows so customers who sit there can enjoy the game and the view at the same time.
“We just have fun,” he said, starting with cornhole games outside, the basketball hoop inside and even hula hoops to entertain the staff before their shifts and the customers during the games.
“It’s cajun inspired,” Reynolds said, with the favorite burgers, wings and po-boys for those who aren’t so adventurous and their signature duck and andouille gumbo, along with other dishes with a kick, for diners who want to venture out.
Louisiana’s on the menu
The Louisiana cuisine is prepared to order in their from-scratch kitchen that tuns out Voodoo shrimp and grits, crawfish two ways — etouffee and fried crawfish tails — along with cajun ribeyes and two fish dides: Mardi Gras mahi with a crawfish mushroom sauce or mahi mango with a sweet chili glaze.
For lighter game fare, the restaurant has a selection of salads, sandwiches, wraps Boom Boom shrimp and other tacos and burgers, like the Hangover Burger with a sunny side up egg, a smoked Gouda turkey burger and a veggie burger.
Corn grits and Louisiana street corn are among the sides, and for dessert are authentic beignets without the drive to Louisiana and bread pudding made with Krispy Kreme donuts.
Another menu showcases the signature drinks, wines and beer available.
Waiting for Walk-On’s
This opening in D’Iberville will be the fifth Walk-On’s location in Mississippi — with others in Slidell and Mobile — and it’s been anticipated for years.
In 2019 the project moved from a previous site that was selected to where it was built at the corner of Galleria and Mandal parkways, right off the D’Iberville exit of I-10.
At that time, Scott Poirrier, an engineering consultant for the project, told the D’Iberville Council the New Orleans Saints’ quarterback wasn’t building the Coast restaurant — “Drew Brees is a partner in the Walk-On’s restaurant brand,” Poirrier said.
Walk-On’s was founded in 2003 by Brandon Landry and Jack Warner, who played on the LSU basketball team, according to the company website. The first location was in Baton Rouge near Tiger Stadium and the franchise is expanding. Brees joined the company in 2015.
The D’Iberville location is operated by DBMC franchise group out of Louisiana.
“We can’t wait to officially open our doors to the D’Iberville community,” said DBMC Restaurants president and Walk-On’s franchisee Jason Gisclair.
All alcohol proceeds during the soft opening of the restaurant will be donated to the Mississippi Center for Autism in D’Iberville and Reynolds said more special events and promotions are planned.
This story was originally published September 23, 2022 at 1:34 PM.
