Eatery Updates: Hawaiian Bros, Krispy Kreme and Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux

* Hawaiian Bros Island Grill (Kansas City, Mo.) has signed a 52-store franchise development agreement for Florida with Southern Rock Restaurants, an operator of McAlister’s Deli and Dave’s Hot Chicken locales, report a variety of news sources, including Restaurant Dive. The Southern Rock agreement covers Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tampa and Orlando, and has a six-year timeline for completion. Overall, HB has 60-plus units in operation with another 350 locations in some stage of development across 20 states with 13 franchisees, according to the press release from the purveyor of plated lunches built around pork and chicken.

* Krispy Kreme (Charlotte, N.C.) has announced a development deal with Original Entrepreneurs LLC to add 30-plus shops over the next five years in the New York market. The franchisee already operates a dozen KK locales there, including shops in East Rutherford, Lakewood, Jersey City Paramus and Springfield, N.J., along with ones in Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island.

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux (Baton Rouge, La.) has taken the wraps off renderings of its next-generation sports bar. Designed by Madrid, Spain-based Livit, the new flexible model will feature a 3500- to 4500-square-foot footprint, (roughly half the brand’s previous footprint). The company plans to open the first locale bearing the new “kit of parts” design in Baton Rouge next spring.

Elements of the update include:

* An enhanced sports-viewing experience, including a large-scale TV wall and upgraded A/V package designed to create a stronger visual impact and keep sports at the center of the guest experience.
* A more efficient kitchen with new equipment, including clamshell grills, to simplify training, improve consistency and reduce ticket times, without losing the ability to serve Walk-On’s full menu.
* A reimagined bar that features a peninsula-style configuration that can be adapted to different layouts.

Founded in 2003 in Baton Rouge by LSU basketball walk-ons Brandon Landry and Jack Warner, the concept now has 80-plus locations nationwide.