BATON ROUGE, LA – Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux announces Chris Dawson, former Multi-Brand President at Driven Brands, as its Chief Executive Officer. Chris has demonstrated an impressive track record of successfully scaling franchise concepts through quality unit growth and strong franchisee profitability. In under six years, Dawson quickly rose from his initial role establishing the Take 5 Oil Change brand to his most recent role as President of the more than 1400-unit Paint & Collision vertical at Driven Brands.

“Walk-On’s has been recognized as one of the top concepts in the industry, a testament to the high quality food and family-friendly atmosphere,” said Chris. “My last few years have been spent scaling brands nationally, and I look forward to leading Walk-On’s on this same journey.”  

Dawson has already shared his plans for continuing to support the brand’s growth and bolster its leadership presence in the restaurant and franchise industries, including building out a high-performing and seasoned leadership team. 

“Chris and I share a passion for building a strong culture and a winning team”, said Brandon Landry, Co-founder and Chairman of Walk-On’s. “He has built successful franchise systems, and the teams that allow him to deliver on the goals of franchisee profitability and amazing guest satisfaction.”

The brand has almost doubled in size since private equity partners, 10 Point Capital, first invested in 2020 and they see no slowing in growth. “Walk-On’s will be a 500-plus unit brand. The next few years are about leadership and building a world-class infrastructure to support our franchisees as we scale. Chris joining the brand underscores our commitment to investing in support of this growth,” shared Scott Pressly, Managing Director of 10 Point Capital.

The brand, now in its 20th year, recently opened its 78th restaurant location, and is already in 15 states. With an average unit volume (AUV) of $4.8 million*, and 116 locations in the development pipeline, Walk-On’s is attracting significant interest from potential franchise partners across the country.

The brand was founded by Brandon Landry in 2003, and subsequently attracted former pro-football quarterback, Drew Brees, and 10 Point Capital, a private equity firm focused on building dominant franchise brands, as owners. For more information on the Walk-On’s franchise opportunity, visit https://walkonsfranchising.com/

*As stated in Item 19 of the 2023 FDD.

About Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux

Based in Baton Rouge, Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux was founded in 2003 by Brandon Landry, a former walk-on basketball player at LSU. Leaning on the true spirit of a walk-on and building a winning culture, the brand is rapidly expanding across the United States. Its Louisiana-inspired menu features food and drinks made from scratch daily. Walk-On’s All-American Team serves up a game-day experience in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere that ensures every guest is a winner. For more information, visit walk-ons.com.

About 10 Point Capital

10 Point Capital helps founders create dominant franchise brands. With deep roots in the franchise industry, 10 Point Capital helps emerging concepts accelerate their growth by providing investment capital and using a proven Franchise Acceleration Plan to help them evolve into mature, thriving brands. 10 Point Capital has been an integral part of the national expansion of Slim Chickens, Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, Smalls Sliders, Phenix Salon Suites, and Tropical Smoothie Cafe. For more information, visit www.10pointcapital.com.

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