When Brandon Landry, a walk-on basketball player at LSU, walked into a bank looking for a business loan, he walked out without one. Again and again, his pitch did not resonate with potential financial backers.
Until it did.
The first Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux opened in 2003 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where Landry logged 7 minutes of playing time his senior season at LSU and earned a “C” grade for a class project on starting up a new sports bar business.
On April 14, Landry watched as the newest Walk-On’s, one of more than 80 locations in 16 states, opened at 1127 SW Pine Island Road in Cape Coral, where Landry partnered with longtime local restaurateur Len Lemmer and his family.
The Lemmer family owns Nervous Nellie’s on Fort Myers Beach and Cantina Laredo at Bell Tower shopping center in south Fort Myers.
The Walk-On’s origin story landed well with Len and Tyler Lemmer, a father-and-son team that has their entire extended families involved with running the businesses. The Lemmer family has combined 196 years of restaurant experience and counting with the opening of Walk-On’s.
“All of my general managers in all of my restaurants were at one time either cooks or dishwashers or servers,” Len Lemmer said. “We’ve promoted from inside, from within the four walls of our business.
“We want to be that go-to family restaurant for youth athletics in the Cape Coral area. We’re going to be all about getting involved in the Cape Coral community.”
Lemmer said he hopes to open another Walk-On’s in Southwest Florida, with the next location likely to be in Fort Myers.
Walk-On’s created some fanfare for its grand opening, having a drawing for free food for a year for one of its first 100 guests. Cape Coral high school football players burst through a Walk-On’s banner just before the 11 a.m. grand opening, and Cape Coral City Council members were on hand for the ceremonial ribbon cutting.
Landry and Walk-On’s CEO Chris Porcelli were also in attendance.
The opening generated about 120 jobs for a restaurant and bar that has two dozen beers on tap, 54 big-screen televisions and a menu with most items ranging from $12 to $28.99, with the highest-priced item a Cajun Ribeye steak. The Louisiana Platter has hand-battered jumbo shrimp and catfish served with crawfish etouffee, seasoned waffle fries and hush puppies and costs $26.99.
Sandwiches, burgers and salads are all in the $12 to $17 range.
Appetizers include fried alligator ($18.29) and Devils on Horseback ($15.29), grilled jumbo shrimp, cream cheese, pickled jalapenos wrapped in bacon and honey.
When Landry started the chain 22 years ago, sports bars were still thriving across the country. Since then, fans can stream most games from the comforts of home. That means to stay relevant, Walk-On’s connects with its surrounding communities and focuses on food and service, Landry said.
“We’re not your typical sports bar, right?” Landry said. “We bring a little different element to the sports bar scene. Really good food. Made from scratch. Food that you don’t typically get in a sports bar. We’re talking fresh seafood. And some of the Cajun dishes you can’t typically get around the country.
“We’re going to get involved in the churches and the schools and the Little Leagues. Everything that makes Walk-On’s successful. Because those are our guests.”
The COVID-19 pandemic five years ago put a pause on opening new ones, but it also helped Landry evaluate and plan for future openings. Walk-On’s plans on opening between 10 and 12 new locations this year.
“We found out during those tough times that sit-down, dine-in restaurants, they’re not going anywhere,” Landry said. “People want to be around other people. And if you create a great setting and create a great culture with our team — which we really do live with the walk-on mentality — everyone in this building is as important to the team as the general manager.”
