Editor’s Note: This article has been updated since its original publication.
Smalls Sliders, the burger chain brainchild of Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux founder Brandon Landry, is expected to grow rapidly over the course of the next few years.
That’s according to Landry himself, who is also a Smalls Sliders franchisee. He owns the Prairieville location, and his second franchise is set to open its doors on Thursday near the Tanger outlet mall in Gonzales.
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The new Gonzales restaurant marks 13 locations for Smalls Sliders—a number that will soon skyrocket.
Landry says Small Sliders currently has over 200 locations under development with 40 slated to open this year. Some of the locations opening this year will be found across state lines in Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and Texas. Currently, the brand’s only restaurant outside of Louisiana is in Flowood, Mississippi.
The geographic expansion doesn’t stop there. Landry expects Smalls Sliders to have locations in 16 states by Q4 2025, and he says the burger chain is already “getting international interest.”
“Growth is crazy right now,” Landry says. “The model is really hot and—guess what?—the burgers are really good.”
Smalls Sliders opened its first restaurant on Nicholson Drive near Tigerland in 2019, announced its franchising program in 2021 and relocated its headquarters from Baton Rouge to Atlanta in 2023. The brand, which Landry launched alongside Jacob Dugas, is backed by 10 Point Capital and former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
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Landry attributes the success of Smalls Sliders to three main things: the quality of its products, the strength of its branding and the “exceptional” leadership of CEO Maria Rivera.
“When you combine those three things, you have a really good recipe for success,” Landry says.
This story originally appeared in an April 9 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.