Retro Metro launches in southwest Springfield

Something familiar to fans of the long-running Metropolitan Grill restaurant is now open in Magers Crossing.

Retro Metro, a sister eatery to Metropolitan Grill, opened Dec. 1 at 2150 W. Republic Road, Ste. 104. It replaces Great American Taco Co., which shuttered in October. Both concepts are co-owned by longtime restaurateur Pat Duran and Tyler Thompson, of the Thompson Sales Co. auto family. The owners continue to operate a Great American Taco Co. restaurant on East Battlefield Road.

Both Retro Metro and Metropolitan Grill underwent simultaneous renovations of roughly $100,000, Thompson said. New furniture, lighting and finishes were installed at Metropolitan Grill, along with a new menu. Retro Metro received a new paint job and its sister restaurant’s chandeliers and furniture.

“It’s just like walking into old Metro,” Duran said, noting Retro Metro’s menu is filled with classic dishes that stretch all the way back to Metropolitan Grill’s 1994 opening. “The kitchen was set up exactly the way I needed it, so it was a really quick flip for us.

“It’s kind of unheard of to flip a restaurant in 45 days and it’s just because we really didn’t need to do that much to it.”

Duran bought Metropolitan Grill from Fred Coco in 2006, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

It’s not the first restaurant change in an identical space for Duran. He opened Hard Knox BBQ LLC last year in the former home of his Vespa Kitchen concept, which shuttered in 2018, according to past SBJ reporting. Similarly, in 2013, he started Springfield Gourmet Taco Co. – later renamed Great American Taco Co. – in space where he opened Santa Fe Grill in 2012. It moved in 2016 from East Sunshine Street to 2915 E. Battlefield Road.

The second Great American Taco Co. opened in April 2018 in Magers Crossing.

Duran cited increased fast-casual restaurant market competition in south Springfield and ongoing slow sales compounded by the coronavirus pandemic as contributors to closing the southwest Great American Taco Co. eatery. Year-over-year business was down roughly 30%, he said, declining to disclose financials.

“It probably could have made a comeback, but it was going to be a long road,” he said. “I have a strong brand in Metropolitan Grill and I saw there was an opportunity on this side of town for fine dining.”