ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Mission Taco Joint is renaming itself to recognize that you don't get the whole experience during COVID-related restrictions.
"Mission Taco Joint is known for having a fun, lively party atmosphere with big groups, and we simply can't do that right now. So we thought we'd rebrand as Mission Taco Lite, referencing free (versions of) apps that don't get you the full experience."
Owner Adam Tilford says Mission Taco Lite references temporary changes to ordering at the counter, off of a "slightly abbreviated" menu, and not staying open too late. All of Mission's St. Louis locations reopened for dine-in service on Monday: Central West End, Historic Soulard, Delmar and St. Charles.
Eventually, Mission Taco in Kirkwood will also feature a test kitchen and test bar.
"With seven stores now it's really difficult to roll out new menu items without having tried and true recipies, so we'll be doing that stuff in the test bar. You'll get to taste creative cocktails and food that you can't get in any of our other stores."
Tilford says they were told Kirkwood doesn't need another train mural, so instead they sheared off the front of an actual train and mounted it to the wall.