New direction coming to Walk-On’s – Walk-On’s hires Chef Jeremy Coco

Jack Warner has heard all the stories about the inconsistency at Walk-On’s. Warner will be the first to admit that the food has been an afterthought in the restaurant and bar’s decade-long run.

“If you liked our étouffée or gumbo one day, you might get something completely different the next day,” Warner says. “We messed up so many things repeatedly. Now, we’ve figured out a lot of things, but we have an opportunity to grow on the food side.”

To improve on the kitchen and culinary aspects of Walk-On’s, Warner and Brandon Landry’s Last in Concepts have hired Chef Jeremy Coco as its director of culinary operations and training. Coco will primarily focus on developing the menu and training staff at all Walk-On’s locations.

Coco has an extensive résumé—he has worked at Juban’s, was the executive chef at Café Vermilionville in Lafayette and Fleming’s in Baton Rouge, and served as the Dean of Education at the Louisiana Culinary Institute (LCI).

Warner knew Coco previously and saw an opportunity to improve Last In Concepts’ ventures.

“We want to build a better team to grow [Walk-On’s],” Warner says. “To take that to the next level, we needed to bring in someone that can teach, coach, train and lead our staff.”

So far, Coco has visited all four Walk-On’s locations in the state, taking notes and evaluating the quality and service. In the future, Warner and Coco say Walk-On’s would like to grow in and out of the state. The key for Coco is doing the small things right now, executing the dishes on the menu and establishing a leadership mentality in all staff members from the dishwashers to the kitchen managers.

“Jack told me, ‘It’s not the name on the back of the jersey. It’s the name on the front of the jersey,'” Coco says. “I know some chefs have this mentality they want to come in and own everything. I’m not a ‘me’ person. I’m a ‘we’ person. This company has great growth potential. I have a feeling Walk-On’s is going to be another LSU, Baton Rouge success story.” —Matthew Sigur

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