By Jon King / jking@whmi.com

A restaurant that had become a fixture in Downtown Brighton will be closing its doors.

In an online message, the owners of the Sagano Japanese Bistro and Steakhouse announced that their last day of operations will be this Sunday, January 21st. “Parting with this exceptional community was not a decision lightly made,” stated the notice, “but unfortunately necessary.”

While no explicit reason was given for the decision to close, the posting went on to say that they were “incredibly humbled by the manner this community embraced us by allowing us to be a part of your most significant life experiences. Whether it was part of your day to day activities, special occasions or large community events such as the Taste of Brighton, Sagano is incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of the Brighton community.”

The notice said that Sagano gift certificates would remain valid at their other locations in Clarkston, Fenton, Flint and Warren.

Sagano opened their Brighton location in 2009.