New London — Greg Robinson is reviving Captain's Pizza a year after it suddenly closed.

Robinson, who said he closed the restaurant at 8 Bank St. for restructuring, intends to open to customers at 5 p.m. Saturday with a performance by the Silver Hammer Band. The opening days will include a light menu, and anyone wanting alcohol will have to bring it themselves, he said, until his liquor license is approved.

"We accomplished so much in a short period of time that we kind of needed a break," said Robinson, who opened his version of Captain's Pizza five years ago.

Robinson, who had stepped away from day-to-day operations of the restaurant before it closed, said he will be front and center this time around. His son Brian, who had helped him revive the restaurant first made popular by the late Konstantinos "Charlie" Papathanasiou, will no longer be involved.

Under Papathanasiou, Captain's Pizza became one of downtown's most popular restaurants for more than two decades until he stepped away in 2003. A sucession of owners keeping the Captain's Pizza name failed to maintain its popularity until Robinson took over in 2010 and turned things around.

Robinson, who had run Campus Pizza in the Hodges Square area from 1987 to 1999, kept Papathanasiou's Greek pizza recipe and maintained a similar friendly demeanor.

"I can make this space happen," Robinson remembered thinking when he first toured the restaurant, which includes an outdoor deck popular in the summer. "We were successful right from the start."

The business was so successful that Robinson bought the buildings that house Captain's Pizza three years ago.

But when he decided to close down last year, Robinson said he entertained a few offers to sell. Still, he couldn't come to a deal and finally realized that he needed to reopen and get back to what he loved.

"I can't wait to start making grinders again," Robinson said as he put the finishing touches on minor renovations before the reopening. "I still have a lot of faith in New London."

Judy Sadosky, one of the regular Captain's Pizza employees from the beginning of its revival under Robinson, said she can't wait for all her old customers to stop back in.

"It's awesome to be back," Sadosky said. "I love the community. It just works for you. You feel like you accomplish something."

The restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Prentice "Doc" Russell, another holdover from Robinson's earlier days, will be among the chefs.

Robinson, a Waterford resident, thanked the many people who have encouraged him to reopen over the past few months. Though his opening is timed just before the annual Sailfest celebration downtown and comes as many downtown businesses anticipate groundbreaking next year for the National Coast Guard Museum, he said it is the locals that he counts on.

"We never left; we just took a long vacation," Robinson said. "But we are happy to be back to work."

l.howard@theday.com

Twitter: @KingstonLeeHow