After nearly a decade of serving grass-fed steaks and inventive craft cocktails, Strip Club Meat and Fish on St. Paul’s East Side is calling it quits.

Co-owner J.D. Fratzke said he and partner Tim Niver simply decided not to renew their lease. They both are involved in other projects, and they felt like the restaurant had run its course.

“This wasn’t done out of necessity,” Fratzke said. “This was a choice that we made. There are a lot of things that are changing for us. We’re really grateful to be able to serve this community with our hospitality as long as we have.”

However, the restaurant will remain in operation until July 1, so regulars will have plenty of time to say goodbye.

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Documentary on women in the restaurant business now streaming “We’ve got six months to keep going,” Fratzke said. “We’re going to keep throwing a party every night. We’ll keep pushing forward with some new stuff, but we’ll also be bringing back some of our greatest hits. We just want to thank everyone for all the support they’ve given us over the years.”

The restaurant’s hours will change before the closure. The last brunch service will take place Feb. 12, and beginning Feb. 14, the Strip Club will be closed Sunday and Monday, instead of just Monday.

Fratzke and Niver retain the lease to the restaurant through the end of July and said they would likely host private and pop-up dinners during that time.

Fratzke has been working nearly full time with the crew of Republic in Minneapolis for some time, and he’ll continue to do so. He ran the Red River Kitchen at City House this summer, which is a Republic operation.

Fratzke is also still part owner of Saint Dinette, which is going strong, as is Mucci’s, which Niver co-owns.

Fratzke said he’s got another project brewing, but he wasn’t quite ready to say what, or where, that would be.

The closing, for Fratzke, is bittersweet.

“Whether it’s for your career or your family, nothing ever turns out the way you envision it in your head,” he said.

“I fully expected when I was sitting upstairs in November of 2007 looking at the skyline with a glass of pinot noir, that this would last only 18 months, two years if I was lucky, Fratzke said. “I wouldn’t be who I am today without this family that we created. I’ll be grateful for that to the end of my days.”

The partners told staff members on Monday, at what turned out to be an emotional meeting.

“We had both been so businesslike about it up until then,” Fratzke said. “But the second both of us opened our mouths, we were crying like babies. This is like moving away from the home you grew up in, because that’s essentially what I did here.”