Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux - Gonzales (Tanger Outlets) — Restaurant in Gonzales

So for now, I’m giving four stars overall, based on the food and service. But honestly, that’s not why I’m writing this review.

This past weekend was the opening of the NFL season—something football fans have been waiting all summer for. It’s the kind of event that signals change, excitement, and relief after a long, hot, miserable offseason. I recently moved from Baton Rouge to Gonzales, and since my cable isn’t hooked up yet, I decided to head to a familiar spot: Walk-On’s.

When I got there, the place was dead. Almost depressing, especially considering it was Week 1 of the NFL. (For the record, I had money on Buffalo, but that’s beside the point—I’ve included some photos to show what I mean.)

My server at the bar, Callie, was fantastic—sweet, attentive, and on point. I asked her if there were any game-day specials on draft beer or food. She told me: no, not on Sundays—only Monday through Friday.

Now, let me be clear: I don’t own a Walk-On’s, and I’d never question the success Brandon has earned—it’s well deserved. But as a customer, I couldn’t help but look around and think: how are you not capitalizing on the very first weekend of the NFL? Why wouldn’t you roll out a domestic draft special or something to get people in the door?

This is Gonzales—not Baton Rouge or New Orleans—so you can’t always count on a crowd showing up without giving them a reason. The way to get people in and spending is to make them feel like they’re getting a deal… and then they usually spend more..

On top of that, I decided to play the Pop a Shot basketball game. The machine clearly says $2 for 3 games. I like these games, and I’m usually able to put up a high score—not because I think I’m Steph Curry, but because I’ve got a little rhythm and a system: pepper the backboard square and it usually drops automatic.

But here’s the problem. After my first game (score in the 70s), I noticed something off. The rim was set way too far away from the backboard—about half a foot. On top of that, none of the balls were inflated consistently. One was flat, one semi-flat, another overinflated. Try making consistent shots with that setup—it’s impossible.

So round two, I switched to shooting “no backboard” and managed an 86 or 87. By round three, I was ready to put my name on the high score board. Guess what? No third game. Even though the machine said 3 games for $2, I only got two. Apparently, you have to select multiple players for it to trigger all three games, but it doesn’t explain that anywhere.

Here’s the bottom line: The difference between good and great, between 3 stars and 5, between a journeyman and a Hall of Famer—it’s the little things. If anybody knows this, it’s Drew Brees.

It’s football season. Throw your people...

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER (Long post alert)!!

On the night of Friday, October 25, 2024, my adult daughter and I chose to dine at this establishment following a high school football game. We arrived around 10 PM, only to find the restaurant sparsely populated, despite its advertised hours extending until midnight. Although we were promptly seated, we encountered a disconcerting delay of nearly 15 minutes before our server acknowledged our presence. Upon placing our initial order for an appetizer and a drink, we found ourselves waiting an additional 20 minutes for the appetizer to arrive, at which point our entrée orders were taken.

Regrettably, the state of our plates upon arrival was unacceptable; my daughter discovered what appeared to be black dirt within her dish, while my own was marred by grease and food residue on the exterior. Following my daughter’s request for a clean plate due to the compromised nature of her meal, we faced further disappointment as our drink orders had not yet been fulfilled. My daughter ultimately rescinded her drink request, while I opted to accept my melted beverage under the condition that it be remade. However, I was informed that a charge would be incurred for this adjustment, prompting my decision to decline.

The situation deteriorated further when the manager approached our table with an unwarranted level of hostility. Her dismissive tone and confrontational attitude when addressing our concerns regarding the drinks were particularly disconcerting. Despite our explanations that the drinks had never reached our table, the manager’s response lacked any semblance of professionalism. After an additional 20 minutes of inattention from our server, we ultimately decided to abandon our meal as we had lost our appetite. The culmination of this experience was profoundly disappointing, leading us to leave cash to tip server and pay for our meal in lieu of service rendered as we never received our check. This was an unfortunate testament to the substandard quality of service we received from this...

If you have call a heads on the wait list AND people continuing to walk in, maybe a 20 minute wait time is not accurate. It took me 45 minutes to be seated after I watched multiple people that I saw check in after me be seated.

Maybe having servers have people in multiple sections isn't the best idea, especially when the restaurant is busy. Quite a number of servers were bouncing around and looked frazzled. It took us a while to even get to put our appetizer order in as well as our dinner order.

Do you guys not have runners? When we finally got our appetizer, they were cold.

Our server not only had to bounce around the restaurant, but was also one of what looked like 4 servers helping with a large party in a room. Maybe her tables should take priority?

We were both looking forward to the bread pudding, which surprise surprise, came with a good bit of a wait. Was luke warm only in the center and looked like it had been sitting there for a minute with the way the whipped cream and glaze looked. #4 is probably the reason for this.

The reason I gave any stars was because the food had great flavor, even with most of it being cold, and I feel that the service would have been much better if it weren't for the server being pulled in so many directions.

It really seems like there is a lack of training and communication.

Would not...