Pull to refresh
Logo
What Changed
Following Why Sign Up
Raise the Bar obtains Texas mixed beverage license for planned Northeast Austin lounge

Raise the Bar obtains Texas mixed beverage license for planned Northeast Austin lounge

Built World Austin, TX local

State records show the alcohol license was issued November 3; construction on the 2,100-square-foot lounge is scheduled to finish in March 2027.

2 days ago: Mixed beverage license issued to RTB ATX, LLC

Overview

Updated 5 hours ago

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission issued a mixed beverage license on November 3, 2026, to RTB ATX, LLC for 3500 E Parmer Ln in Austin. The same address has a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing, registered October 6, that describes a first-generation tenant finish-out of a commercial shell for a new cocktail lounge.

Raise the Bar is planned for Building 2 of the East Village Town Center, Suite 2152, at 2,100 square feet and an estimated $500,000 construction cost. Owners Kimberly Hurst and Savannah Grant told What Now Austin the opening date is still to be determined; the filing schedules construction to wrap in mid-March 2027.

Why it matters

The license lets RTB ATX, LLC sell alcohol if the lounge is built and inspected; construction is scheduled to finish in March 2027.

Last Monday's email for Austin, TX

Sent Nov 2. It carried:

Get next Monday's: one short email a week. Free. Unsubscribe in one click.

Questions about this story

Free account needed to ask — your question is kept and asked for you right after sign-up. Answers are public.

No questions yet — be the first to ask.

Key Indicators

$500,000
Estimated construction cost
From the TDLR architectural barriers project filing for the tenant finish-out.
2,100
Planned square footage
The size of the cocktail lounge space listed in the TDLR filing.
March 2027
Scheduled construction completion
The TDLR filing targets a mid-March 2027 finish; this is not a confirmed opening date.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Sign up to generate historical perspectives on this story.

Log in Sign Up

People Involved

KH
Kimberly Hurst
Owner and founder, Raise the Bar
Working to open the cocktail lounge; opening date not set
SG
Savannah Grant
Co-owner, Raise the Bar
Working to open the cocktail lounge

Organizations Involved

RT
RTB ATX, LLC
Limited liability company / license holder
Holder of the November 3 TABC mixed beverage license at 3500 E Parmer Ln

The Texas entity named as holder of the mixed beverage license for the Raise the Bar address in Austin.
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
State regulator
Issued the November 3 mixed beverage license to RTB ATX, LLC

The Texas agency that licenses and regulates alcohol sales statewide.
RB
Raise the Bar
Planned cocktail lounge
Construction scheduled; opening date not set

A planned neighborhood cocktail lounge at 3500 E Parmer Ln, Suite 2152, in the East Village Town Center.

Timeline

October 2026 November 2026

3 events Latest: 2 days ago

  1. Mixed beverage license issued to RTB ATX, LLC

    Latest Licensing

    The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission issued a mixed beverage license to RTB ATX, LLC for 3500 E Parmer Ln, Austin.

  2. Tenant finish-out filed with Texas licensing agency

    Permit filing

    A TDLR architectural barriers project was registered for a 2,100-square-foot, $500,000 cocktail lounge build-out at 3500 E Parmer Ln, with construction scheduled for early November 2026 to mid-March 2027.

  3. Owners describe plans, opening date 'TBD'

    Statement

    Kimberly Hurst and Savannah Grant described Raise the Bar as a neighborhood cocktail lounge in Building 2 of the East Village Town Center and said the opening date was still to be determined.

Scenarios

1

Raise the Bar opens to customers by spring 2027

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Owner Kimberly Hurst and What Now Austin, citing the construction schedule

Construction proceeds on the scheduled early-November-to-mid-March timeline, state inspections follow, and Raise the Bar begins serving at Suite 2152 in the East Village Town Center. The license already covers alcohol sales if the build and inspections clear.

2

Project stalls and RTB ATX, LLC never opens the lounge

Unlikely Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: Analysts of licensed-but-unbuilt bars generally; no specific forecast tied to this project

Construction slips past its scheduled window, the TABC license changes status without a corresponding opening, and the Raise the Bar plan does not reach customers under RTB ATX, LLC. A first-time owner-operator build-out is the sort of project that can stall.

Historical Context

One moment from history that rhymes with this story — and how it unfolded.

June–October 2026

The SideLine Sport bar buildout at East Village (2026)

In June 2026, JANIS ATX LLC registered a TDLR tenant finish-out for The SideLine Sport bar in Building 3 of the same 3500 E Parmer Ln center. The 3,300-square-foot project was scheduled for an August-to-October 2026 build at an estimated $150,000.

Then

TDLR records marked the project review complete but did not confirm an opening date for the business.

Now

It illustrates how the same center is adding food-and-beverage tenants through the same state filing pipeline.

Why this matters now

Raise the Bar is another tenant moving through that pipeline; the TABC license is one approval, with construction and inspections still ahead.

Sources

(4)
Texas data portal Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation What Now Austin Zabalist