The transformation of the Highland Mall area to an ACC campus and restaurant destination gets a big boost today. Easy Tiger, the city's premiere bakery and beer garden combo, will open a second location in the rebranded Linc development. The space will be three times the size of their current outpost on Dirty Sixth, which will allow them to greatly expand their wholesale bakery program. The new location will also include drive-thru coffee, a dog park, and 250 outdoor seats. Expected opening: late 2015.

Easy Tiger is part of the ELM restaurant group headed by Chef Andrew Curren; sister restaurants include 24 Diner, Arro, and forthcoming Italian project Italic. Easy Tiger's head baker David Norman has built a bakery program that supplies many of Austin's best restaurants and cafes, so the bakery expansion means even more great gluten. The Linc is the schmancy rebrand of the former Lincoln Village shopping center, anchored by the Marchesa Theater, with a number of new restaurant spaces. Here's the full press release.

A New Tiger Den in the Works

Easy Tiger Bake Shop & Beer Garden to Expand to Second Location

AUSTIN - Nov. 12, 2014 - The folks from ELM Restaurant Group, the successful team behind 24 Diner, Arro and forthcoming Italian concept Italic, are expanding into new territory with thesecond location of Easy Tiger Bake Shop & Beer Garden in North Austin. The popular downtown destination will anchor The Linc (www.thelincaustin.com), the newly rebranded development adjacent to the Austin Community College campus at Highland Mall.

Since opening in early 2012, Easy Tiger has been named one of the best beer gardens in the nation byFood & Wine and in the world by USA Today, as well as one of America's best new bakeries by Details. The shop has been featured in Garden & Gun, Bon Appétit, Southern Living, Travel + Leisure, GQ, Condé Nast UK and more.

The new 11,500-sq.-foot space, nearly three times the size of the existing location, will include a full commercial bakery that will allow Easy Tiger to immediately meet the great demand for its artisan baked goods and pastries, as well as expand its offerings.

"The wholesale bakery sales at Easy Tiger have greatly exceeded our expectations, and we are producing twice what we estimated would be our overall capacity at the Sixth Street location," sayshead baker David Norman. "We currently deliver fresh-baked bread to more than 50 commercial customers, but we haven't been able to accommodate any additional account requests in almost eight months - and that includes three out of the five local Whole Foods locations."

The new space will have a similar look and feel to the existing shop, with interior design overseen once again by Veronica Koltuniak of VeroKolt. The site will also include a drive-through coffee bar, 250 outdoor seats, ping-pong tables, a dog park and an outdoor stage that will occasionally host live music - as well as tons of free parking.

"We are excited to include Easy Tiger among our latest tenants," says Allan Davidov, owner of The Linc. "Easy Tiger is exactly the kind of creative, local, best-in-class operator we are targeting for the re-envisioning of The Linc. ELM Restaurant Group's decision to expand a significant portion of their operations into this project is a testament to the transformation happening in the entire ACC Highland Campus area - which is about to include Rack Space as a major employer. I'm also pleased because it is my favorite restaurant in Austin!"

Anticipated opening date is late 2015.