NASHUA – After 15 years, Michael Buckley is abandoning the name “Michael Timothy’s” for his Main Street restaurant and changing the restaurant’s approach.

The 212 Main St. restaurant still turns a profit, and Buckley, as a businessman, said he’s second-guessed his reasons.

But Buckley said he sees a clear trend in the preferences of downtown diners – a more casual atmosphere and “less of a commitment,” which translates to slightly less cost, he said.

“I’m looking for growth. I’m not looking to stay the same,” Buckley said.

Thus, Buckley is “re-inventing” the restaurant and will even change the name in January to “MT’s Local Kitchen & Wine Bar.”

He couldn’t transform the restaurant without changing its name, Buckley said.

The restaurant’s new incarnation will serve “hearty comfort food” and locally produced ingredients, Buckley said.

“This is a return to our roots when we originally opened Michael Timothy’s 15 years ago. Our vision then was to create a restaurant that was warm and inviting and to prepare quality comfort food with a creative twist,” Buckley said.

Sunday brunch on Jan. 2 will be Michael Timothy’s final day before it morphs into MT’s Local. Brunch will wrap up the holiday weekend, which will start with a Best-of-the-Best New Year’s Eve dinner Friday, and the final night of regular dining Saturday, Jan. 1, Buckley said.

The restaurant will then close for two weeks for renovations.

When the restaurant reopens as MT’s Local, the menu will feature a wider selection of appetizers and small plates with a strong emphasis on comfort food in the form of more house-made pasta dishes, slow-cooked food, and “locally sourced ingredients,” Buckley said.

Grilled pizza and a few signature salads will remain on the menu as will such favorites as “Bistro Tournedos of Beef and Pan-Roasted Duck with Foie Gras Risotto,” Buckley said.

A year ago, Michael Timothy’s discontinued its long tradition of live music. Buckley isn’t considering reversing that.

Although the music was great, the restaurant made more money when it stopped having it, he said.

For one thing, the restaurant could put tables in the space the musicians had taken. Also, the music wasn’t conducive to diners carrying on conversations and kept some others away.

Buckley will expand the hours at the reinvented MT’s Local; the restaurant will be open for dinner seven nights a week, and will open for lunch at 11 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

MT’s will no longer be open for weekly Sunday brunch, but holiday brunches will be held across the street at Buckley’s other Nashua restaurant, Surf.

Wine and spirits will still be featured and the selection will expand, Buckley said.

Patrick Meighan can be reached at 594-6518 or pmeighan@nashuatelegraph.com.

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