The popular Gibsonville Mexican restaurant The Mission will reopen Aug. 22 with new updates, including new decor and drink options. 

Owner of The Mission, Jeff Colgan, said customers can expect new televisions featuring entertainment stations. He also said he wants customers to stay and enjoy their time, instead of leaving right after they finish their meals and drinks.

“We always felt that we were kind of in limbo between, ‘Are we more of a restaurant, or are we more of like a bar?’” Colgan said. “We like to consider ourselves more of a restaurant, but we want to have almost like a bar or a hang-out feel.”

As the fall semester approaches, revamping includes new walls and ceilings to fit this “hang-out” atmosphere. With not much said on the details of these new updates, the walls and ceilings should be brand new when customers start flooding in as the semester starts. Colgan said he wanted to give customers the opportunity to stay as long as they would like. 

“I'm hoping that we're providing a little bit more of the experience that not only Elon students, but the community is looking for — which is a fun place to go out and have food and drinks with your friends,” Colgan said.

This atmosphere includes new menu items, specifically — drinks.

“Traditionally, we've been looked at as a place that only serves margaritas,” Colgan said. “But we're going to expand on that menu quite a bit, and we're going to try to not be looked at as just a margarita place. We just want to have a little bit more diversity.”

Though the menu typically updates every semester, Colgan said  diversity within the drinks menu will hopefully reach a new audience and will focus on adding more rum and vodka based cocktails. 

Colgan said while most of his customers are Elon students, his audience varies to locals. With these updates, he said he hopes it will be a place for all to enjoy. 

“It's more just about, kind of enhancing the atmosphere and experience,” Colgan said.