Head chef Marshall Sawyer did not want to get into detail about what led to the decision, but said the business “really had some financial hurdles we couldn’t get over.”

The locally owned Sawyer’s began in Houghton Lake in 1975; the current incarnation opened for business March 1, 2008 at 608 W. Saginaw Street.

“It’s very unfortunate,” Sawyer said of the closing. “We were kind of trying to keep it under wraps for as long as we could. And we were really just getting to the point where we were meeting our goals, as far as sales and that sort of thing.”

Sawyer said there has been discussion of a possible relocation, but “nothing is for sure right now. But it’s definitely something we’d like to continue doing, and possibly expand the concept, if we can.”

Sawyer’s hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.