BRIGHTON, N.Y. – A longtime Rochester restaurant will remain dark and quiet for the foreseeable future having served its last meal.

“It has such fond, good, wonderful memories," said Holly Lane of Rochester. "I’m going to cry.”

It’s a bittersweet holiday season this year at Mario’s as the Rochester dining staple served its final dinner Wednesday night.

The Mario's story started about 50 years ago when Italian-born Mario Daniele opened his first Rochester restaurant.

“I’m just a name, I’m just  a person,” Daniele said. “I conduct the music, but quite frankly, it was each one of them out there who made what we are today.”

It’s been on Monroe Avenue since 1995 and now the Daniele family is closing to redevelop the property.

“A lot of emotion, a lot of thank yous,” Anthony Daniele said. “Beautiful stories of weddings, anniversaries, funerals, baptisms. The beautiful part about our business is we’re the place people go to celebrate. And we’ve been blessed to be able to celebrate with these people with our regular customers, in some of the most special events of their lives.”

Longtime customers say they’re said to see it go.

“The style of cooking, especially like the pastas, was similar to our family’s,” said Nancy Pilaroscia of Rochester. “So then when any relative would come it was like we had to bring them back to their roots.”

“Lots of happy memories here, but we’re looking forward to all of the exciting things they’re doing in this location,” Lane said.

That includes the Daniele family’s plans for Rochester’s first Whole Foods Market on the property.

Even though Mario’s is closing this location here on Monroe Avenue, the owners say this isn’t the last you’ll see, or taste, of the popular restaurant.

Mario’s will continue operating its banquet hall until March. Then the owners hope to reopen it in a different location.

In the meantime, those missing their Mario’s meals can find the restaurant’s pasta sauce and other products in grocery stores.

“It’s just the end of this chapter, and the beginning of a new chapter,” said Danny Daniele. “We’re excited to see where that’s going to take us as well.”