Kaisho, a new izakaya restaurant in Bellevue Square, closed Thursday after being open just five months. Not from lack of success, says Jeffrey Lunak, but a need for a “culinary incubator” for Madison Holdings’ other thriving ventures.

Madison Holdings is the restaurant company behind Boom Noodles and Blue C Sushi, the latter rapidly growing in California, with a recent opening in Hollywood and more to follow in San Francisco, Newport Beach and Tarzana.

Lunak, culinary vice president of Madison Holdings, said Kaisho — located next to Blue C in Bellevue Square — offered a lot of extra space that the company will need for a test kitchen to develop menu items and event space.

“I think this is going to be kind of the mother ship for everything we do,” Lunak said, adding closure isn’t the end for Kaisho. “It’s really just reassessing what we have space for. I don’t see Kaisho being done with. I just see this chapter being done.”

Kaisho’s interior renovations will remain the same, he said. A larger, rarely used upstairs space may lend itself to catering events. Lunak said one frustration for Kaisho was having so many large companies wanting to host events there, but being limited in space.

“We’d be more than receptive to the idea of even doing a complete dinner right there,” he said.