ELM Restaurant Group is joining Fareground at One Eleven Congress as the Operator of Dining Concepts, managing the co-op of restaurants that will be featured within the project’s interior marketplace. The revitalization of the urban plaza and interior lobby of aims to make it into a modern, inviting, and active downtown hub. As the Operator of Dining Concepts, ELM will be responsible for cultivating restaurant concepts from Austin’s best chefs, restaurateurs, and culinary experts. While talks are already underway with major players in the local restaurant scene enthusiastic to partner, Easy Tiger Bake Shop & Beer Garden is their front runner for the project.

“We are thrilled to have our first choice in concept operators joining the team for Fareground,” said Mike Fransen, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Parkway. “ELM is a leading operator in Austin, and their innovative portfolio and access to other great local food concepts, will enhance the entire project, and activate the concept and design that dwg. and Hsu’s office have spearheaded for Fareground.”

Fareground’s upscale eatery hall will include six dining concepts housed in the building’s new lobby, as well as one street-level concept at the corner of Congress Avenue and 2nd Street feature curated food and drink selections from each of the six dining establishments – such as special cocktails, curated wine lists, or ready-made culinary items.

In addition to Easy Tiger, other vendors within Fareground are expected to be diverse, yet distinctly Austin. Each vendor will be located around a central seating area, with additional seating in the park space outside. Visitors to Faregound will be able to select their individual culinary experience, while enjoying community dining in a casual, yet sophisticated atmosphere.

“With the wealth of talent available in Austin, we have an opportunity with Fareground to create and foster the type of experience that captures the soul of our town,” said Bob Gillett, a founding partner of ELM Restaurant Group. “We want to curate concepts from the brightest culinary minds in our city, creating a microcosm of the restaurant scene in one stop, right in the heart of downtown Austin.”

These concepts include 24 Diner offering chef-driven comfort food, and Italic, an approachable rustic Italian eatery, Irene’s, a casual New American restaurant and dive bar, as well as a North Austin outpost of Easy Tiger are slated to open later in the year. Between their concepts, ELM has been showcased on the Cooking Channel and Food Network, recognized on “Best Of” lists from multiple national publications including Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, and Details magazines, and featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Condé Nast Traveler, GQ and many more.