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Matt Gallagher, along with his son Zack, have been awarded four Smalls Sliders franchises by owners Brandon Landry, also founder of Walk-On’s, and co-founder Jacob Dugas.
The Gallaghers have proven they know how to get successful franchise restaurants up and running in Mississippi. They are already franchise owners for Walk-On’s Sports Bistreuxs in Ridgeland, Hattiesburg, Oxford and Covington, Louisiana.
Matt also knows the challenges of finding the best location for a restaurant that fits his vision and the community’s vision in which he is working. The Ridgeland Walk-On’s opened in September and has been an enormous success.
Gallagher and Smalls Sliders announced this week the intention to open four locations in the Jackson metro market.
He said he is open to anywhere in the area that works, and if opportunities are right, he can be open somewhere in the area by the end of the year.
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“I have been working with a couple of agents just to try to find the right exposure and good traffic,” Gallagher said. “We are looking everywhere from North Jackson into Ridgeland, Brandon and Flowood.”
Smalls Sliders is a hyper-focused cheeseburger slider drive-thru concept based in Baton Rouge. The idea is a spinoff of the Walk-On’s sliders that have been a huge success.
The two Smalls Sliders’ locations in Louisiana have been a success, and the owners are ready to expand.
The concept is simple. Smalls serves one main thing, cheeseburger sliders, along with waffle fries and drinks, and that is it. That allows for a focus on training and serving as quickly as possible and as friendly as possible.
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After not being able to get Walk-On’s across the finish line for a build-out in Madison, he is trying again, this time with Smalls Sliders.
“I am kicking the tires with Mayor Mary (Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler),” Gallagher said. “I know she is tough on building codes and restrictions there, which is great for the City of Madison.
“Our original concept was a storage container, but now it is a modular building,” he said. “She has seen pictures of it. Now, whether she will entertain the opportunity to build in that market, I don’t know. We would love to be in Madison. But it will be a challenge for her to match up the construction within the brand and then what she is going to allow. That’s a booming market, and we obviously had a tough time getting a Walk-On’s in Madison, which led us to building there on Highland Colony (in Ridgeland).”
Ultimately, though, Gallagher said he wants to be in a high-traffic area that’s convenient with easy accessibility, which is needed for the quick-serve drive-throughs. Smalls Sliders will have two drive-through lines for quicker service. There will also be a walk-up window with a small AstroTurf area to allow for some seating outside.
“We have to find the right location that is going to give us good exposure and the consumer in and out of the traffic area,” he said. “We want to get in as fast as we can do it. The first one is just a matter of doing our due diligence and finding the right site. As fast as I can get that first one going, we’d love to identify a second and third site. Ultimately, the goal is to try and be open by the end of this year.”
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The benefit of the brand is that the modular building is built off-site by a vendor in Florida. The vendor makes the container in 90 days, puts it on a truck and ships it in.
“So, at the same time, we are doing the site work, the building is being built,” Gallagher said. “The challenge right now is the lead time on materials, restaurant equipment and kitchen equipment. The faster I can find the right site and get all of those things in place, then we can open the doors and get involved with that community.
“We want to set ourselves apart from all of the other quick-service concepts and really be a part of the community, not only to drive sales but also to give back and make a real difference in the places we serve.”
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