Walkabout signWalkabout SheffieldWalkabout's vast Australian drink rangeWalkabout's kangaroo burger
Walkabout is an Australian themed pub and restaurant chain in the United Kingdom, owned by Stonegate Pubs since December 2016.<ref name="bighospitality.co.uk">Template:Cite web</ref>
The first Walkabout bar was opened in 1994. In December 2016, it was reported that the brand had 30 outlets, down from a peak of about 50.<ref name="bighospitality.co.uk"/>
In 2009, Walkabout's parent company went into administration. A number of unprofitable sites were closed and the company refinanced itself.<ref name=news2013>Template:Cite news</ref>
In the 2010s, Walkabout came under pressure by boroughs keen to clean up and gentrify their high streets.<ref name=australian2013>Template:Cite news</ref> Its Covent Garden branch, which was the first to open in the mid '90s, was closed in March 2013 with the company saying the site was too small.<ref name=news2013 /> There were 30 Walkabouts left operating at this time.<ref name=news2013 /> Shepherd's Bush Walkabout, one of their best known branches, closed in October 2013, leaving only one branch of Walkabout in London.<ref name=australian2013 /> This closed in 2017.
Commencing in 2013, Walkabout embarked on a refurbishment programme across the estate, with the following sites being refurbished: Derby, Carlisle, Lincoln and Blackpool. Following a hiatus in the refurbishment programme works began in earnest in 2015 starting in March with Walkabout Bristol, followed by Sheffield and Newquay. Also the first new Walkabout for 6 years opened in Brighton<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (in the former Walkabout site); other new venues popped up in Solihull and Lichfield (following the purchase of two former Apres sites<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>). 2015 finished with the opening of a new Walkabout in Manchester's Printworks just before Christmas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2016 began with the refurbishment of the Walkabout Birmingham on Broad St.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Throughout the year, many other existing venues were refurbished, now functioning as new concept Walkabouts. They also have continued to acquire a variety of new sites across the UK and close others.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The most recent opening was in Chelmsford,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> where the site transitioned from a Wetherspoons to a new Walkabout bar in under three weeks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In contrast, Walkabout's Liverpool venue closed on New Year's Day 2018 after 20 years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
