Fondren just raised the bar. When The Block — home to The Capri Theater, The Pearl Tiki Bar, Highball Lanes, The Station and Fondren Yard — reopens to the public on May 30, visitors will find the same beloved venues with a significant upgrade: Joe Cravens, the 31-year-old owner behind the resurgent Walker's Drive-In, is now leading culinary operations across all five locations.

Cravens stepped into Walker's Drive-In just months ago and carried on the loyal crowd and the catering business that Derek Emerson built there. Developers David Pharr and Jason Watkins, the team behind The Block's $13 million transformation of the historic Capri Theatre district, saw what Cravens was doing and wanted that same energy working across the neighborhood.

It's a smart match. Pharr and Watkins have spent years turning Fondren into a destination: first the Capri, Highball Lanes, and The Pearl Tiki Bar, then The Station, then Fondren Yard. What they've built is already one of Jackson's most energetic entertainment spots. Now, with Cravens reworking the menus and bringing Walker's standards to The Block, the food and service is catching up to the atmosphere.

The Block closes May 24–28 for the transition, reopens for a private family night on May 29, then opens fully to the public on May 30.