WAILUKU, Maui >> A staple of 15 years for Maui diners has closed it doors as its owners concentrate on health issues.

Cary and Eddie’s Hideaway Restaurant and Bar closed after serving its final meal Saturday night, The Maui News reported.

Owner Eduardo Hernandez Rivera said he and his wife Cary Munoz, plan to return to California so she can receive medical treatment for an undisclosed illness.

“Maui is home to us, we’re really sorry we have to leave, but we want no sympathy. We are going to survive this,” Rivera told the newspaper by telephone Sunday. “We’re grateful for the opportunity Maui gave us, and we just wanted to leave it a better place.”

The last meal at the restaurant was a buffet-style dinner featuring its signature dishes, including baby back barbeque ribs and fried chicken. 

No immediate plans for the building were immediately announced. Rivera said it sat vacant for three years before they opened the restaurant. 

The restaurant building was constructed in 1964, and was formerly called The Chart House. Other incarnations over the years included the Maui Frontier and the Landing. 

The nearly 62,000-square-foot property is owned by HRT Realty LLC, according to property records.

The couple opened the restaurant fronting Kahului Harbor in 1999.

They had 12 employees. One plans to retire, and the other 11 intend to apply for jobs at the nearby Maui Beach Hotel.

“Working with Cary and Eddie, it’s a family, you feel at home,” said waitress Pam Lorico-Watimarso, who began with Rivera and Munoz in 1999 and now will retire — even though she has other options.

“Most of our customers consider us family, and vice versa. Some of them own businesses and they offered me jobs. That’s how it is,” she said Sunday.

Longtime customer Greg Kauwe, who’s frequented the Hideaway with wife, Ida, and son, Joseph, said Saturday he was sad the restaurant was closing.

“It’s just a family-style environment. The workers, we consider them as our families,” Kauwe said.

“We will miss them,” Kauwe said, and then gave staff members hugs on his way out.