Retro Metro changes ownership

Retro Metro is under new ownership.

Brandon Moore, aka Chef Tiny, said he and his wife, Hana, purchased the southwest Springfield eatery July 1 from Pat Duran. The financial terms of the deal were undisclosed.

"My wife and I always wanted to own our own restaurant. This was the perfect vehicle for that," Brandon Moore said.

Moore said he and his wife, both chefs at Retro Metro, were approached by Duran to buy the business after helping him launch it in December 2020.

Retro Metro, located at 2150 W. Republic Road, Ste. 104, in Magers Crossing, was designed as a throwback to the early days of Metropolitan Grill, which Duran purchased from Fred Coco in 2006, according to past reporting. Duran continues to own Metropolitan Grill on East Battlefield Road.

The Moores were original employees of Duran at Metropolitan Grill.

"Metro now is a Springfield landmark in dining, because of Pat," Brandon Moore said, noting the restaurateur "solidified himself as a culinary king in Springfield" through the venture. "He wanted to present the same opportunity to us."

Under new ownership, Moore said Retro Metro would continue cycling through the classic Metro menu items and add a happy hour, lunch service, a seasonal menu and a "fresh catch" lineup of seafood in partnership with Express Foods.

"We're trying to expand a little bit but still leave the base and the foundation," he said. "We call it the Metro way."