One of the city’s new wave taco joints is calling it quits at the end of this year.
Wil Pelly and Becca Schaaf, owner/operators of Rock Star Tacos (4916 Shaw), announced on social media that they would be closing their four-year-old taco joint at the end of December. “It’s been a hard year for us and everyone,” the post began, citing “rising prices, uncertainty, difficulty finding staff… The list goes on. But the reality is that this constant work and stress isn’t good for us.”
The couple thanked guests for “sharing our living room and our food,” adding that they plan to make the most of their final two months with “the community we built with you.”
Details of the Closure
Schaaf tells SLM that she and Pelly have run the restaurant largely on their own for more than four years. “We’re exhausted,” she says. “The lack of staff and constantly increasing costs make the business unsustainable.” Among the strains: a new 33 percent tariff on their tequilas and a doubling in the cost of beef for their birria tacos. “We made the right choice,” she adds. “There really was no other sensible choice.”
Once the restaurant closes, Schaaf may explore distributing Rock Star Dust, Pelly’s signature seasoning blend, that the label claims is perfect on steak, burgers, shrimp, popcorn, popcorn shrimp, an old boot… “We sell cases every week without even trying,” she says. Pelly, currently touring Mexico with the Beastie Boys tribute band My Posse in Effect, may return to music full-time, while Schaaf hopes to stay in food service. “I hope Carmen, my BFF who runs the kitchen, and I can work somewhere together,” says Schaff, who’s open to seeing what develops.
Schaaf notified the staff of the closure several weeks ago. “We told them we couldn’t make it two more months without their help,” says Schaaf, “and got it. So it’s full steam ahead through New Year’s Eve, and there might even be a party or two after that, she says, “just to cook off—and drink—what’s left over.”
True to form, Schaaf will continue handling all reservations personally until the end: “It’s obviously good business, and it limits the no-shows.”
The Backstory
Pelly and Matt Arana opened the original Rock Star Taco Shack in 2019 in a 10-by-10-foot building at the edge of the amphitheater in St. Charles’ New Town. Pelly referred to the diminutive space as “a food truck that lost its tires.”
Pelly brought both culinary and musical flair to the concept, naming tacos after rock anthems: Fish You Were Here (after the classic Pink Floyd album), Amy Swinehouse (citrus braised Cuban pork), Shrimp Bizkit (pan-seared shrimp tacos), and There Goes My Gyro (with all-beef gyro meat).
After outgrowing the New Town location, Pelly and Schaaf (minus Arana) headed for The Hill and carved out a space inside Gaslight Studio STL, a fitting home with its working recording studio backdrop. The new space offered about 35 seats, plus a bar and an expanded kitchen and menu featuring Kip Wingers (a pound of wings), Fly Me To the Goon (chorizo rangoons), and Fry of the Tiger and Poutina Turner (French fry options, both dusted with Rock Star Dust). Non-meat offerings include The Jackfruit 5 and Livin’ on The Veg.
Rock Star Tacos will continue regular hours through December, with extended service on New Year’s Eve. “Oh, I’m sure we’ll be here well past midnight,” Schaaf says.
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