Sports Bar

Baton Rouge sports bar owned by NFL superstar makes its Dallas walk-on

Got some fried food here.

Photo courtesy of Walk-Ons

UPDATE (January 16, 2019): Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar will open January 21 at 3165 Regent Blvd., Irving. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 am, and the first 100 guests will receive prizes. Visit their Facebook page for more information.

---

There's a new sports bar-restaurant coming to Dallas-Fort Worth that's co-owned by an actual NFL player. Called Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar, it's a Baton Rouge-based chain that will make its debut in Irving, at 3165 Regent Blvd., in fall 2018.

Walk-On's is co-owned by New Orleans Saints superstar Drew Brees and features Louisiana cuisine and a full bar in a game-day atmosphere. Brees and his wife, Brittany, bought in as co-owners in 2015.

"We are thrilled not just to bring this incredible restaurant to Irving, but to have the honor of opening the first Walk-On's in the DFW Metroplex," says co-franchisee Joshua Allen in a release. "Everything about it is superior to the typical sports bar, from the incredible food and wide array of cocktails and craft beers, to the family-friendly sports atmosphere and commitment to outstanding customer service."

Texas has been a priority expansion market ever since the company started franchising, says Brandon Landry, who co-founded the company with college friend Jack Warner in 2003. Both were aspiring athletes who joined Louisiana State University's basketball team as walk-ons. Thus the name. Which, in its current format, is kind of punctuation-challenged, what with the hyphen and the apostrophe.

And that's not even getting into the Lousiana-ized spelling of Bistreaux.

Walk-On's currently has 17 locations, including four in Baton Rouge, two in New Orleans, and one each in Lafayette, Houma, Shreveport, Lake Charles, Covington, Broussard, Alexandria, and Bossier City. There are also locations in Texas, in Lubbock, San Antonio, and Tyler, with more in the work for Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.

The menu has fried seafood platters, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, and wraps. There are po'boys, gumbo, fried alligator, boudin balls, fried oysters, and crawfish etouffee.

Starters include waffle cheese fries, fried pickles, boneless wings, cheeseburger sliders, spinach-artichoke dip, and venison nachos.

Notable options with a twist include a cheeseburger wrap, a crawfish BLT, and a po'boy made with rib eye and Swiss cheese. And here's a thing: Their bread pudding is made with Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

sports

Beverage News

Bubble tea shop Chatime from Taiwan opens at convenient Dallas address

Chatime

Chatime drinks

A bubble tea shop from Taiwan has debuted in Dallas: Chatime, a global bubble tea chain specializing in modern bubble tea beverages, has opened a teahouse in a very convenient centrally-located spot in the Medallion Center shopping center at 6464 E. Northwest Hwy. # 316, next to Salata and near the Target store.

Chatime was founded in Taiwan in 2005 and has helped bring bubble tea to the global stage. According to a release, they began franchising in 2006 and currently have more than 1,400 locations worldwide across Asia, Australia, Canada, and the U.S. There are now locations in Baltimore, Nashville, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Missouri, Ohio, New York, Florida, Georgia, and Kansas.

Dallas represents the third location in Texas, following Frisco at 11955 Coit Rd. which opened in 2024, and another in the Houston area, which opened in 2025.

Their success draws on decades of tea expertise with an emphasis on real ingredients, bold flavors, and contemporary tea culture. Their menu centers on customizable premium boba tea including milk tea, fruit tea, smoothies, and brown sugar pearls.

Signature drinks include:

boba tea
brown sugar boba milk (no tea)
peach green tea with strawberry popping pearls
lychee green tea with lychee jelly
mango slush with mousse
Thai with boba
taro milk tea with mousse

They also have cold brew coffee and energy drinks. You can order drinks in three sizes, ranging from 16 to 32 ounces, and you can also specify level of sweetness. Prices range from $6 to $9.

The Dallas location, part of a wave of openings for the chain in 2026, is a family operation owned by Dallas husband-and-wife duo Sanket and Ekta Gulati, two professionals who are opening their first franchise, with their sons running the day-to-day.

"Chatime felt like the right opportunity for us because it offered a strong global brand with real recognition, even though it is still growing in the United States," the couple says. "What makes it even more meaningful is that our younger son is managing the store and has become a key part of the operation, while our older one proudly calls himself the HR guy, leading the hiring and onboarding efforts. It has truly become a family affair."

On May 30-31, the store is hosting a two-day opening celebration, wherein the first 50 guests each day will receive a free 16-oz Premium Boba Milk Tea, presented in a limited‑edition Charm the World Cup. Each cup comes with a mystery plushie, adding a collectible that reflects Chatime's global fan culture. They'll also be doing a Buy‑One‑Get‑One promotion on certain flavors, on both days, all day.

bubble tea openings trends