While there has been upbeat news on the Dallas food & beverage front with six big-deal restaurant openings in recent days, there is also less-upbeat news of closures, as well.

One was a beloved Dallas diner, another a cute cafe, and a third, a sweet board games venue in Plano.

Here's the news on three recent closures:

Crossroads Diner
Beloved North Dallas diner known for its famous sticky bun closed on November 17, after nearly a decade in business. Chef-owner Tom Fleming shared the news via Facebook.

"Well we gave it our best! said the Facebook post. "I’m truly saddened that I am writing this, but the time has come. We have decided to close Crossroads Diner permanently!! I thought we would make it to 10 year anniversary but we fell short by 5 days!! 9 years and 360 days is still a damn good run!"

Fleming first opened Crossroads Diner in 2011 on Walnut Hill Lane where he drew a fiercely loyal clientele from Lake Highlands, East Dallas, and Park Cities. After that location was acquired by new owners in 2015, Fleming relocated to North Dallas.

Crossroads was open for breakfast and lunch, and had a diner ambience, although the food was more home-style. The so-called sticky bun — actually a cinnamon roll topped with caramel and nuts — became the signature, along with house-made corned beef hash, eggs Benedict, and French toast. Crossroads made CultureMap's 2013 list of Best Breakfasts, and also won a Tastemaker Award in 2018 for Best Biscuits.

Fleming expressed thanks to his staff and guests, and said he didn't know his plans. "I don't know what the future holds for me, but I’ll let ya know when I do!!" he said.

Green Truck Cafe
Super cute Lewisville cafe closed down after less than three months in business. Co-owner Trent Nabors shared the news via a Facebook post.

"With a heavy heart I am announcing that a week from today will be our last day open," he said. "We tried to fight the good fight but lost. I would like to thank every one for the support over the past 8 months and will miss all the smiling faces."

Green Truck Cafe opened in August as a breakfast and lunch place, taking over a space at 1108 W. Main St., across from Lewisville High School, that was previously an Army-Navy center.

The cafe was somewhere between a diner and a coffee shop, with aspirational food — things like smoked salmon on bagel — and a good coffee program. Amazingly, aside from the $12 burger, everything on the menu was under $10.

There really was a green truck: a gorgeous vintage 1947 Ford pickup, which became an impromptu selfie spot.

Friend & Foe
This charming board game cafe in Plano closed in late October, which they announced on Facebook. The pandemic was a major factor.

"Like numerous other businesses, we have operated at a loss in daily revenue over the past 7 months," the post said. "We held on as long as we could, tried to be creative, and hoped we could ride out the pandemic. The truth is, we've had some incredibly miraculous moments that carried us to this point, and without them we would have closed months ago. We are beyond grateful for every day we were able to remain open."

Friend & Foe opened in fall 2019 as a combination game room and cafe with sandwiches, coffee, beer and wine, from a group of friends who shared a fondness for board games, part of a national trend reviving this old-school but also very interpersonal activity.

For $5, customers could play games and stay as long as they wanted. There was also a café with sandwiches, salads, and snacks. The concept drew all ages: from kids to retirees who played games when they were young.

When the pandemic started, they created a Donate a Meal Program to feed medical workers at the Children's Hospital and came in early to make and deliver sandwiches.

One of their employees created a GoFundMe to help them with the aftermath of the closure; its financial goal was quickly met.