An Australian-themed sports bar is coming to Freiheit Village in New Braunfels, with The Roo Pub slated to open its doors on September 1 at 2055 Central Plaza, Ste. 102. The new spot will fill the space left behind by Double Schotts Sports Bar & Grill, which closed in April after eight years serving as one of the development's go-to sports-viewing destinations.
The Roo Pub is part of Ingram Bar Group, the San Antonio-based hospitality company led by CEO John “Chip” Ingram, according to Community Impact. The bar plans to offer televisions showing various sporting events along with draft beers, cocktails, and bar food, and more details can be found at www.roopub.com. The opening date was shared per a Roo Pub spokesperson, the outlet reported.
Ingram Bar Group was founded in 2011 when Chip Ingram opened The Angry Elephant in San Antonio, and the company has since grown to manage more than 100 employees across 13 active hospitality concepts in Texas, according to Ingram Bar Group. The original Roo Pub location opened in 2012 along U.S. Highway 281 North in San Antonio as an Australian-inspired sports bar featuring 20 beers on tap and a food menu served daily until 2 a.m., per Do210.
A Direct Swap for a Longtime Sports-Viewing Spot
Double Schotts Sports Bar & Grill opened in the same Central Plaza space in March 2018, equipped with 28 televisions and pool tables, before shutting down in mid-April. The closure ended an eight-year run in Freiheit Village, where the bar had served as a primary sports-viewing spot for the surrounding commercial center.
Ingram Bar Group's footprint extends beyond San Antonio and New Braunfels. The company also runs a coastal outpost in Rockport, Texas, branded The Roo Pub Coastal Grill & Chill, which features live music and grill offerings, according to the Rockport-Fulton Chamber of Commerce. The group has also kept expanding closer to home, launching the Wild Boar Saloon in San Antonio's Southtown neighborhood this month inside the former Bar Ludivine building, as reported by San Antonio Current.
Growth Along the I-35 Corridor Fuels Demand
The Roo Pub's arrival lands in a rapidly growing pocket of Central Texas. U.S. Census Bureau estimates placed New Braunfels' population at 122,492 as of July 2025, up sharply from the 90,403 residents counted in the 2020 Census. Comal County has also seen fast growth, expanding 5% between 2022 and 2023 to reach 193,928 residents, ranking seventh nationally among counties with populations over 20,000 for annual percentage growth.
Freiheit Village itself sits inside a 53-acre mixed-use development in New Braunfels' Creekside district, combining retail, restaurants, office suites, medical space, and residential units. Nearby residential projects are adding to the foot traffic feeding the district's commercial tenants, including the 62-unit Dovetail Condominiums, which broke ground in September 2024, and The Mercer, a 42-unit single-level condo project located directly within the commercial district.
Tenant Turnover Continues in Freiheit Village
The Roo Pub's move into the former Double Schotts space follows other recent changes among Freiheit Village's dining tenants. Roost closes after four years in the development, with the all-day breakfast and chicken salad restaurant shutting down in May after four years in the district. Even as some restaurants exit, established hospitality groups have shown interest in backfilling vacated spaces to serve the area's expanding population base.
