One of Downriver’s best-known and longest-established waterfront restaurants is closing at the end of the year.
Rumors had been circulating throughout the day on Thursday that Portofino on the River, 3455 Biddle Ave., would be permanently closed within a week. A call to the restaurant regarding the rumor was not returned.
However, the news became official late that afternoon when the restaurant owners and staff confirmed the rumor through a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
“As many of you may have heard, Portofino will be closing at the end of the year,” the post states. “It was with much deliberation and sadness that the owners have decided it is time to sell the business. All employees will be given the opportunity to work at one of their affiliated businesses once Portofino is closed.”
Staff was told about the pending closure this week, but the post says that the owners hoped to have gotten the news out to customers and those who had events planned at the restaurant prior to it breaking to the general public.
“Unfortunately, in the age of social media, this was an impossible task,” the post states. “We understand that for many, this is an end of an era. Portofino is a restaurant and a banquet center, but it is so much more than that for many residents of this community.”
Spanning more than four decades, those who have worked at the restaurant for much of that time have seen lifelong friendships that were built at Portofino. They said they have known coworkers who went on to marry, to stand up in each other’s weddings, or to become godparents to each other’s children.
“There’s generations of families that have worked here, or had their yearly get-togethers planned here to overlook the scenic view of the Detroit River,” the restaurant states in its post. “There’s our fantastic, loving regular customers who come in every single Friday night and have made a family among each other and our staff at the front bar. There’s the regulars who come sit in the restaurant and know that we will always have a window seat for them and their favorite bottle of wine on half-off bottle Mondays. There’s the boaters who stopped by during their time in the sun to get a cool drink and a bite of food before jetting off again. There’s the many customers who made the themed cruises on The Friendship and the MV Portofino the most lively parties on the river.”
Within minutes after the restaurant posted the closure notice, comments began to pour in from customers and former customers saddened by what they had just read.
“A beautiful riverside restaurant,” one person wrote. “There is nothing comparable to it in the area.”
Others reminisced about holding wedding showers and rehearsal dinners at Portofino, of taking Detroit River cruises on the restaurant’s boats, or working there as their first job.
But while most people are still reeling from the bad news of the restaurant’s decision to close, others are already asking what might come next for the property that’s in a prime location in a vibrant downtown area.
The current owners ended their Facebook post on the same positive note.
“Portofino’s chapter is ending but the feelings associated with it will live on,” they state. “We hope that future owners will realize what a gem they have within this spot and the limitless possibilities that are capable here, especially within a true community such as Wyandotte. Please come in and enjoy a final drink or meal, use up those gift cards, and say hello to our staff before we close. New Year’s Eve will be the last official day open. Thank you for your years of patronage and friendship.”
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December 22, 2023 at 05:54AM
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Portofino restaurant in Wyandotte to close after 40 years in business - Southgate News Herald
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