IT IS no longer time to say goodbye as the popular Ciao Italia restaurant remains open for business.

The Press reported in January that the Italian, on Nethertown Broad Street, was listed for sale as the owners focused on their other five food operations.

However, they have now had a change of heart and Marco Crolla, director of M Crolla & Sons Ltd, Ciao Italia, said a new approach had been put in place to ensure that the restaurant continues to operate until May 2018 and beyond.

He said: "Apart from the fact that we had so many kind words from so many of our customers and even a letter from the local MSP, Shirley-Anne Somerville, expressing sadness at our moving on, we came to a commercial decision to revise our development plans by keeping Ciao Italia as part of our future development and a permanent part of our small business group.

"As a consequence of this, we have introduced a whole new range of initiatives for the restaurant and reinforced our strength with our staff in the kitchen and the floor. We are now including greater choice and value for our customers during the week with an array of special offers for our lunch and dinner menus. We are now featuring a live piano player every Friday, which we think adds that little something special to the dining experience.

Marco continued: "We also pride ourselves on being an Italian family business that provides an authentic Italian dining experience and, as part of this, we have introduced Pasta Maestro. This is a fun masterclass on Italian pasta and the right sauces that traditionally come from the many regions of Italy. Diners are given a set menu with five pastas with specific sauces and these are paired with Prosecco, red and white wines from each region, with Pasta Maestro diners given a talk-through description from our manager, Michele Cassano, and served by the chef in the kitchen. We then present each diner with a Pasta Maestro diploma and recipe sheet to take home and share with their friends and family.

"We look forward to many more years of service with our brand of Italian dining."

The owners bought the former Teddybears Nursery property in 2007 and converted it into a 70-cover restaurant.

Although the business is no longer for sale, the listing remains on rightmove.co.uk due to contractual commitments with the estate agents.