Editor’s note: Due to last weekend’s inclement weather, the farewell party scheduled for Sunday, January 25 will now take place on Friday, January 30, from 4 to 8 p.m. A full buffet will be served for $20 per person.
A beloved St. Louis institution will soon bid farewell to the legions of diners it has served for nearly six decades.
Hacienda Mexican Restaurant (9748 Manchester) is closing its doors after service this Sunday, January 25. Co-owner Alex Rodriguez confirmed the news with SLM on Tuesday afternoon.
“This restaurant has been part of my entire life,” Rodriguez said in an email to SLM announcing the closure. “My dad, Norberto Rodriguez, started Hacienda in 1968, and I feel incredibly lucky to have been part of his legacy. We have watched families grow up here, celebrated countless milestones with our guests, and built lifelong relationships.”
In an interview with SLM this past October, Rodriguez noted a “perfect storm” of challenges facing the restaurant that had prompted the family to put the building up for sale. Now, those have proven to be insurmountable. Citing staffing issues, major roadwork along Manchester Road, inconsistent business in a post-pandemic dining world, declining alcohol consumption, and the burdens of maintaining a building that dates back to the late 1800s, Rodriguez summed up in one word what it had been like trying to run the business for the past several years: “Brutal.”
Rodriguez and her family hoped to relocate the restaurant, telling SLM in October that she was looking for a more manageable space to carry on the family’s legacy. “A new location is not off the table in the future,” Rodriguez reiterated this week. In the interim, Rodriguez assures St. Louis diners that the brand will live on through its packaged goods and that the food truck and catering operations will continue for the foreseeable future.
“Although the dining room will be closing, the Hacienda brand will continue in several ways,” Rodriguez said in a press release. “Catering and food truck services will remain available for at least a few weeks, possibly longer, and Hacienda tortilla chips and salsa will continue to be sold at local grocery stores, including Dierbergs and Schnucks.”
Rodriguez adds that both the property and business are available, and they have received “strong interest from multiple parties.” Real estate broker Powell Kalish of Hilliker Corporation, who’s handling the sale, tells SLM that the 12,000-square-foot building was originally constructed around 1860, making it one of the oldest structures in the area—a “legacy site,” as he describes it. Kalish notes that the building will need significant updates if it remains a restaurant. “There’s been some interest in keeping the structure,” he says, “but just as many inquiries from investors looking to redevelop the site.”
The Backstory
Rodriguez’s father, Norberto “Bob” Rodriguez, founded Hacienda in a small Overland storefront in 1968. The restaurant later moved to a larger location four years later, after it proved to be a hit. In 1977, the elder Rodriguez relocated the business to its current location, a massive, historic complex in Rock Hill, where it became the metro area’s go-to spot for family-friendly Tex-Mex and popular Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
Rodriguez and her brother John took over Hacienda’s daily operations in 2010 and launched the now-shuttered, fast-casual spinoff Mayana Mexican Restaurant in 2016. Throughout their tenure as stewards, they always looked to their dad as their north star, serving authentic Mexican food “in a festive atmosphere with the highest level of hospitality.”
Rodriguez also points to her staff as having played a crucial role in keeping her father’s vision alive for so many years. “Over the years, so many dedicated people have poured their time, talent, and heart into this place,” Rodriguez says. “Their commitment to our guests and to each other is what made Hacienda special. We could not have reached 50 years without them.”
Rodriguez notes that the restaurant will not close without a proper sendoff. On Friday, January 30, the team will host a special celebration from 4 to 8 p.m. A full buffet will be served for $20 per person, accompanied by live music.
“We are deeply grateful to the community that has supported us for so many years,” Rodriguez said in the email. “While it is bittersweet to say goodbye to this location, it’s time for us to close this chapter so we can look ahead and plan what comes next.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated from the original version.
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