What's Next for KSBar and Grille

Earlier this month, KSBar and Grille closed its doors after serving the Lexington community as a daily sports bar for eight years. During that time, Big Blue Nation celebrated Kentucky wins, played trivia, imprisoned Ryan Lemond, and met their favorite Wildcats at autograph signings. Even though our time as a daily sports bar has ended, there will still be more opportunities to make memories at the same location in the future.

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux will open at 1030 S. Broadway, adjacent to KSBar and Grille, in the former location of Tilted Kilt, which closed in May. Walk-On’s will be open for business year-round, allowing KSBar to open its doors for special occasions, like Kentucky game days and Matt Jones Trivia Nights. The goal is to have the restaurants rocking and rolling ahead of Will Stein‘s first Kentucky football season.

“KSBar has always been about bringing Kentucky fans together,” Matt Jones said in a release. “This partnership allows us to preserve that spirit while giving fans access to a bigger experience, a larger menu and the resources of one of the most successful sports bar brands in the country.

“We’ll still be here on game days, broadcasting KSR live and celebrating Kentucky sports, but now with Walk-On’s helping take the experience to the next level.”

If you’ve never been to a Walk-On’s before, you’re missing out. An ascending brand, particularly throughout the SEC, Walk-On’s has all of the trappings you’d expect from a quality sports bar, with a Cajun twist. The first restaurant was opened by a pair of former LSU basketball walk-ons in 1997. Jamie Daniel, who’s worked with KSBar over the last decade, is fired up to bring the scratch-made menu to Lexington.

“As a Kentucky native and die-hard Kentucky fan, opening a Walk-On’s here was a long time coming,” said Daniel. “By partnering with Matt and the KSR community, we’re serving a fan base that lives and breathes Kentucky sports. We believe this creates a destination unlike anything else in the market.”

There are nearly 80 Walk-On’s locations across a dozen states. The latest will be the first in Central Kentucky and will continue to serve as a hub for Kentucky fans to gather and celebrate the Wildcats on game days.

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