Taco joint with Kansas City locations is changing its name and menu. Here’s why
Mission Taco Joint, which has locations in the Crossroads and Leawood’s Park Place, is now Session Taco.
The St. Louis-based Mexican restaurant has rebranded after being sued for trademark infringement by Gruma Corporation, the parent company of the tortilla maker Mission Foods. The two parties settled the lawsuit last year in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Missouri.
“This certainly came as a blow when we first found out (about the lawsuit),” said Adam Tilford, who co-founded Mission Taco with his brother Jason in 2013. “We spent a decade building this brand. While we have eight locations, we are still a small brand relative to $6.8 billion Gruma Corp.”
Tilford said in a news release that the new name is inspired by the brothers’ childhood in Southern California.
“Session represents a lot of things we love — skate sesh, surf sesh, jam sesh — all approachable, laid-back, fun, and connective experiences, and that’s how we want our guests to feel too,” he said. “We’re thinking of this as an evolution, not a revolution.”
As part of the rebrand, Session Taco will be adding some new menu items, including a Baja tuna ceviche, lobster tacos, blue crab taquitos and churro cheesecake empanadas. The new menu is being rolled out this week in Kansas City.
The chain’s eight locations are all in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas. The Tilfords opened their first Kansas City location at 409 E. 18th St. in the East Crossroads in 2017, followed by one on the South Plaza in 2019 (it closed earlier this year). The Leawood location at 11563 Ash St. opened in 2023.