Whether you are at home or on a golf trip, we’ve all been eating-in a lot more than in the past, making this a challenging time to open a new restaurant, but long odds never deterred Brandon Landry and Jack Warner.

Landry and Warner sketched out floor plans for a sports bar they dreamed of owning while on a flight as walk-on members of the LSU basketball team. They were longshots to play collegiate basketball and even bigger underdogs to launch a wildly successful chain of restaurants.

But that’s why they play the proverbial games.

Landry and Warner opened Walk-Ons Sports Bistreaux, a Cajun-themed eatery, in 2003. Fast-forward 17 years and it’s now a regional chain that opened its first restaurant in Myrtle Beach in the midst of a pandemic in June.

Let me preface this by saying, generally speaking we spotlight local businesses, but there are exceptions to every rule. After recently making my first trip to Walk-Ons, I’m not sure there is a place I’d rather go to enjoy dinner and a few drinks while watching a game.

For starters, the layout is open and fairly roomy and the walls are lined with large HD televisions. No matter where you are sitting, you have an obstructed view of multiple TVs. It’s an impressive setup.

Ultimately, restaurants rise or fall based on the quality of food and Walk-Ons delivers on that front as well. The fried boudin balls (a Cajun-delicacy) were a winner and the jalapeno jack was an outstanding burger, complemented by seasoned waffle fries.

Any menu that includes alligator and crawfish, in addition to more traditional fare, will always have my attention, and that’s doubly the case when happy hour features half-price appetizers and Abita’s Purple Haze on tap.

I’ve only enjoyed a limited sampling of the menu but based on my experience, I’d unequivocally recommend a visit for your golf group.

Walk-Ons is located on Highway 501, just minutes from Legend Resort, Myrtle Beach National and Wild Wing, among other popular facilities.