Midtown Italian restaurant Veni Vidi Vici, part of the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group empire, will shutter at the end of dinner service this Sunday. Buckhead Life founder Pano Karatassos confirmed the move in a statement emailed to Eater Atlanta Thursday afternoon. He said the company is going in a different direction.

"This was a difficult decision, since the restaurant has a loyal following," Karatassos said. "However, and while we are and shall always remain dedicated to our base and loyal customers in our Atlanta restaurants, the growth of the company is moving in a much different direction. For more than five years, we have strategically concentrated our efforts on the development and expansion of our Atlanta and Florida ‘big box restaurants.'"

The "big box restaurants" Karatassos refers to are Chops Lobster Bar and City Fish Market in Boca Raton, Fla., and Lobster Bar Sea Grille in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., all sister concepts to their Atlanta originals. He said the restaurant group plans to take those brands to the national level.

Veni Vidi Vici originally opened in 1993. All of the restaurant's staff has been relocated to similar positions throughout the restaurant's parent company.

In addition to the doomed Veni Vidi Vici, Buckhead Life owns and operates eight other local restaurants: Atlanta Fish Market, Buckhead Bread Company & Corner Café, Bistro Niko, Buckhead Diner, Chops Lobster Bar, Kyma, Pricci, and 103 West, a private dining option.