Reel Seafood Co., one of the last bastions of independent dining on Wolf Road and a destination since 1984, closed suddenly after business on Saturday.

An announcement about the closure was emailed to people Sunday morning, and offered little reflection on Reel Seafood’s legacy or the reason for the closure - instead spinning the story forward to make the location appealing to a future operator.

The company said, "they have decided to move on and open the possibility for a new concept restaurant to take its place. The restaurant business is dynamic and food trends change. With such a great location, a new restaurant company will have the opportunity to establish a brand that is current and appealing to Capital Region diners."

Reel Seafood's website now says under its name "It was a great run," and offered another note that said it thanked its loyal customers and that it would be trying to assist its employees with getting other jobs. “The decision to close our wonderful and iconic restaurant was a very difficult one and not one entered into lightly,” the website says.

Reel Seafood will refund outstanding gift cards; instructions on how to do so are posted on the restaurant’s website.

Located at 195 Wolf Road, Reel Seafood was founded as The Real Seafood Co. by LeGrande Serras, a third-generation restaurateur whose Greek-born grandfather opened a Schenectady diner called The Subway in 1909. The name was changed from “Real Seafood” to “Reel Seafood” in 2008, when Serras’ brother, who owned a number of Michigan restaurants including several named Real Seafood, sold all of his portfolio, including the “Real” name.

A decade ago, Serras made plans to gradually step back, and his daughter, Aliki, began working at the restaurant with an eye toward taking it over. She became general manager and, at the end of 2013, renovated and assumed ownership, with backing from Empire Education Corp. owner Faith Takes. (LeGrande Serras retained ownership of the building.) The partnership failed, leaving Takes as sole owner - though Serras himself remained a regular presence at the restaurant. Takes’ purchase of the property from Serras closed on Friday. It is available for lease, with Kevin Parisi of Trinity Realty Group handling the property.

Patrons quickly offered many fond memories after the news broke on Sunday.

“Their Sunday brunch was wonderful, relaxing and loved the live music,” Regina Vertone, a librarian at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, wrote on Facebook. “Loved all of their dishes and even the mashed potatoes were amazing.”

Added Deanna Fox, a local freelance writer and regular contributor of food stories to the Times Union: “So sad. My kids love oysters and on my son’s birthday each year, he always asks to go and get raw oysters to celebrate.”

A number of others, however, reported a decline in satisfaction with Reel Seafood meals and said a closure was perhaps overdue.

“The quality of their food was an up and down affair over the years,” Bert Pagano of Albany wrote, also on Facebook. “Most recently after the renovation I felt prices were high for not so great entrees, but happy hour and brunch were strong.”

A reader of the Table Hopping blog, Anne Bulatao, wrote: “It’s hard to find upscale dining in the region with its influx of chains and so-so restaurants. Very very sad! It’s obvious they just wanted to close the business and use the space for something else. The money that went into re-design several years ago had to be a decent amount. They should auction items off if they do gut it. I would love to have a memory. Good luck to all the employees!”

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