BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - This week is the final week of operations for one of Buffalo's most popular sushi restaurants.
Seabar, which originally opened in 2008, will shut its doors this Saturday after more than a decade of operation.
Chef Mike Andrzejewski told WBEN that he had to shut the restaurant after bad financial decisions that caught up to them.
"(There have been) so many restaurants opened up in the last couple years downtown that it's made the pie a little smaller for everyone," he said. "We've just been trying to catch up on back-debts and things that we've owed. It's just time."
"We've been the busiest we've ever been these last four or five days," he said. "It's kind of bittersweet. On one hand, we've made a lot of friends and had some great customers and relationships with people over the years and getting to see them off."
He said the company will honor any gift cards or certificates until the end of business.
Andrzjewski made the announcement that they would close to also give his employees a chance to find new jobs. He said he would help them out as much as possible.
Seabar's closure comes after more than a decade of operations. The sushi restaurant first opened on Main Street in Williamsville and quickly moved to downtown Buffalo. There are no immediate plans for Andrzjewski, 60, to open another sushi bar soon, though he said he plans to focus on his other restaurant, Cantina Loco, in Buffalo.
"We'll be doing some upgrading and some redecorating and a little bit of surprises in the works over there, too," he said. "That's going to be exciting to change gears for a little bit and work in a different atmosphere. I've always had my hands in there but now we're going to go full force and have fun with it."
Seabar has lunch hours from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is open for dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Monday through Thursday. Dinner hours are extended until 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.