An Austin staple with Central Texas roots is offering residents near Mesa Drive a new way to enjoy its signature dishes.

The newest DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks at 8108 Mesa Drive opened May 15 featuring a lounge area with a fireplace, a patio and a bar. Co-owner Joshua Smith said business is getting better every day.

For the past five years Smith has operated the DoubleDave’s location at 11900 Metric Blvd., which is owned by franchise CEO Chuck Thorp and Director of Operations Joey Bramwell.

Bramwell said founder David Davydd Miller—whose nickname, Double Dave, is the restaurant’s namesake—started the first location in College Station in 1984. The first Austin location opened four years later, he said.

In the past 30 years the franchise has migrated from college campuses and permeated suburbs and neighborhoods throughout Texas, Bramwell said. For the past several years he said he has been searching for the perfect Northwest Austin location close to schools, churches and neighborhoods. He said the Mesa Drive spot met all of his criteria.

“That neighborhood has a strong sense of community. … And we wanted to be part of it,” he said.

Together, Smith, Thorp and Bramwell opened the new location, which Bramwell said is unique because its sunken lounge area, accented with a brick fireplace, gives the restaurant a more relaxed, dine-in feel. He said the patio was also a selling point.

Flat-screen televisions dot the walls, and Smith said he plans to make the restaurant a hotspot during football season. A corner bar offers an eight-tap selection with seven local brews.

“This is the only DoubleDave’s in Austin that has a bar,” Smith said.

The restaurant has daily happy hour from 3-7 p.m. and offers $1 off pints and glasses of wine. He said he hopes to start hosting beer tastings and trivia nights.

Smith said he wants to get involved with the community and has already donated DoubleDave’s gift cards to a booster club raffle benefiting Anderson High School’s baseball program.

“All of our franchisees live here in town,” Bramwell said. “We’re local to Austin.”