Canadian restaurant and sports bar chain St. Louis Bar & Grill has tapped Taxi to handle its creative work as its new AOR.

The agreement positions Taxi to spearhead the restaurant’s brand positioning and identity redesign, which is planned to begin in the first quarter of this year. The brand made the move to work with Taxi ahead of entering a period of expected expansion, in order to evaluate its place among consumers and competitors.

“We see an opportunity to distinguish ourselves in a category that often struggles with individuality and breakthrough,” Aegis Brands VP marketing and strategic partnerships Royal Nasager said in a press release announcing the move. “After an exhaustive search, the choice of Taxi as the partner to help shepherd us through this process was an obvious one. Their strategic prowess and design chops won us over immediately.”

St. Louis Bar & Grill, which is headquartered in Toronto, opened its first restaurant in 1992 and currently has 79 locations across Canada. The chain sent out a formal RFP in late 2023.

Taxi president Emma Toth says the agency is excited to shape the chain’s future brand positioning and identity, and that this collaboration reflects the brand’s ongoing evolution.