Although it’s closed for now, Mamma Maria’s is slated to change hands and reopen, the owner announced on Facebook early Monday.

The sale of the restaurant to a new owner “should be finalized in the next few days,” owner Chad Thomas wrote from Mamma Maria’s Facebook page.

“[T]he new owners are looking forward to continuing the tradition and building new ones,” Thomas wrote. “They have also agreed to honor all purchased gift cards and keep existing staff that wish to stay. I look forward to working with them to ensure a smooth transition during the (next) few months.”

The post didn’t specify a date for the Italian eatery’s reopening or the names of the new owners. The restaurant closed indefinitely Sunday, but Bob Moore, owner of the Riverwalk Centre that houses Mamma Maria’s and River Cinema 15, said the eatery is slated to be reopened “very quickly.”

Moore declined to name the new owners, but noted that Penny Stai, his daughter and manager of River Cinema, was going to meet with them Monday.

“I haven’t visited with the new people taking over yet, but … their credentials are good. I knew them from the Fosston (Minn.) area,” Moore said. “I’m sure it’ll be a good mix, and I’m glad to see they’re staying as what they are. It’s a good mix for the area.”

Moore said he had heard current owner Thomas was “tired and would like to get out.”

“He’s been in the business for quite a while and decided he had a good offer, (and it was) time to take it and leave,” Moore said.

Thomas operated the business for a decade.

Mamma Maria’s moved to its current location at East Grand Forks’ Riverwalk Centre in fall 2008. Before that, the restaurant operated out of another space on South Washington in Grand Forks.

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