Sports bar and restaurant chain set for South Meridian Street – Indianapolis Business Journal

A sports-themed restaurant is about to open early subsequent yr in a Wholesale District constructing that was beforehand residence to a pair of troubled bars.

Stroll-On’s Sports activities Bistreaux plans to take about 8,000 sq. toes on the primary ground of 247 S. Meridian St., which was most just lately the location of After 6 Lounge, which closed in September. The second ground of the constructing was occupied by Faucets & Dolls till August, after it was denied a renewal of its liquor license earlier within the yr following a string of code violations and crime-related incidents.

Stroll-On’s has partnered with constructing proprietor and central Indiana resident Todd Johnson, chief government of Trident Hospitality, to open the downtown location—marking the corporate’s first foray into the Indianapolis market.

Johnson has teamed with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Derrick Brooks and Wade Kornblith, a veteran Tampa-area finance government, on the venture. Brooks, who was inducted into the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame in 2014, is a self-discipline appeals officer for the NFL Gamers Affiliation.

The restaurant is predicted to open within the first quarter of 2023.

Johnson stated the settlement with Stroll-On’s, monetary phrases for which weren’t disclosed, is predicted to convey extra eating places to Indiana—together with one in Clarksville, simply throughout the Ohio River from Louisville. The corporate has 67 present areas throughout 13 states, together with a 4,800-square-foot restaurant on the Purdue College campus that opened in 2021.

“Individuals want locations to eat and drink in a secure, enjoyable and family-focused atmosphere,” Johnson instructed IBJ. “That’s what we’re going to foster right here.  There are a number of sports activities [bar] choices to go watch a sport, however not with the kind of meals now we have and be capable to watch it together with your complete household.”

Stroll-On’s provides American and Cajun fare, with meals ready contemporary day by day. Deliberate menu objects embrace crawfish etouffee, duck and andouille gumbo, and doughnut bread pudding made with Krispy Kreme doughnuts. It additionally provides an intensive beer record, with most eating places having anyplace from 30 to 40 beers on faucet.

The restaurant chain, primarily based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was began in 2003 by former Louisiana State College walk-on basketball participant Brandon Landry. Former Purdue College and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees purchased a share of the corporate in 2015.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Todd, Derrick, and Wade to the Stroll-On’s household and as they put together to serve the Indianapolis neighborhood,” Landry stated in written remarks. “With Todd’s three a long time of experience within the restaurant sector, Wade’s monetary information and the management qualities Derrick has showcased on and off the sphere, now we have little question that the individuals of Indy are in nice arms!”

Johnson stated he understands there may be skepticism concerning the venture given the current historical past of the companies within the constructing—notably when it was residence to Faucets & Dolls, which was stricken by reviews of crimes, together with violent incidents. Indianapolis police made 166 runs to the bar in 2021 alone in response to 40 reported fights, three overdoses and different incidents.

Homeowners say Stroll-On’s can have a family-friendly ambiance and a tighter schedule than a number of the bars alongside Meridian Avenue, working from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and staying open till midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Johnson stated the license used for Faucets and Dolls has been quickly transferred to Stroll-On’s, however a remaining choice by the Alcohol and Tobacco Fee’s Marion County board is predicted to return in November.

“We’ve already needed to lay out what our hopes and desires had been” for the house with members of the fee, Johnson stated. “We’re enthusiastic about shifting this forward.”

Indianapolis-based Architects Discussion board has been retained for the inside work within the 34,551-square-foot constructing, which was constructed 1880.