Purple, red and white balloons dotted the sky Tuesday morning in celebration — in a birthday celebration to be exact.

Taco Casa kicked off its 40th birthday celebration Tuesday. November 2017 will mark 40 years of Taco Casa in Vicksburg.

“It’s pretty cool to come to work everyday and know everyone sitting in your restaurant,” said Rowdy Nosser, who bought the pre-existing franchise in 1998, noting he believed it to be the third oldest restaurant in Vicksburg.

The dining establishment is often considered a staple in the Red Carpet City of the South.

“I see where many times people say that it’s not a visit to Vicksburg unless they stop to get some Taco Casa,” said Jane Flowers, executive director of the Vicksburg-Warren Chamber of Commerce.

The birthday kick off included thank you’s, employee awards and cake, of course. Nosser, who said his business was 99 percent local, credited its success to personal friends and those he works with.

“Anything you do in a group dynamic there are two critical things that have got to happen: sacrifice and discipline. I’m able to smile, I’m able to think, I’m able to hope and I’m able to dream because of the people that I’m fortunate enough to work with and the friends that I have here,” said Rowdy Nosser said. “We’re all able to make our living together. The business is bigger than any one employee.”

Mayor George Flaggs Jr. spoke highly of the restaurant’s customer service.

“It’s not surprising they are celebrating 40 years,” he said. “The don’t think Vicksburg could be the Vicksburg it is without the Nossers.”

Angela Abraham Ladner, the business’s branding consultant, explained that they decided to kick off the celebration 15 months early to coordinate with the launch of the restaurant on Flok, a virtual rewards app. Taco Caso will be doing promotions, she said, in honor of the 40th birthday, including 40 cent tacos and flash back prices to previous years.

“We felt we wanted to reward our customers that have been so loyal for 40 years,” Ladner said. “Every time you eat with us, you’re working our way to free food.”