Crossroads Diner is Back with a New Location and New Lease on Life

Five days before their 10-year anniversary, COVID shuttered beloved Dallas diner, Crossroads. A mainstay on several of our lists, we’d previously crowned them everything from Best Diner and included the spot in roundups like Best Places to Eat with Kids and Dallas’s Most Interesting Restaurants.

A little over four years later, Crossroads is back with a new location and a new lease on life. We caught up with owner and executive chef Tom Fleming to chat about the ever-evolving life of a restaurateur and finally hitting that decade milestone.

You’ll often see Fleming making the rounds, schmoozing and shaking hands. He’s easy to spot, his white chef coat accentuated with a colorful collection of bandanas. He knows nearly every patron personally or makes it a point to learn their story. The day I met him, he instantly stood out with a bandana emblazoned with, “If bacon is wrong, I don’t want to be right,” a sentiment echoed by the sign hanging behind the bar. We bonded over our shared Chicago roots and favorite suburban haunts.
You just reopened on January 30, 2025, in Plano. Why here, why now?
“This is our third location. The original property got sold, and rent doubled, so we moved to North Dallas. When I closed the Preston-Campbell spot, I knew I wanted to reopen somewhere, but like most, COVID caused us to pivot. I spent four years woodworking and taking a break, while still getting calls to do restaurant consulting. My real estate broker found this location, and the opportunity felt right.”

How’s this spot different than the original?
“It looks completely different. The original was an ’80s rock and roll bar with an illicit after-hours feel. The second was a former Hallmark gift store with a strip mall vibe. This is a freestanding structure that’s light and open. I loved the wood ceiling and I even helped build the wood benches and put up the walls. I wanted it to have a familial feel—somewhere welcoming and fun since I spend so many hours here. You’ll never find a TV. It’s a spot to unplug from the outside world.”

How’s it going so far?
“Good! We’re lucky to have a very strong following with so many regulars. It’s funny — every one of our locations has been near a hospital or medical facility, and we’ve seen young married couples come in before their kids were born and return as their families evolve. Being a part of those memories is incredibly special.”

What do people need to try?
“The menu is similar to the other locations. Nearly everything is made in-house, down to the vanilla-infused maple syrup (my favorite flavor). We still make our own breakfast sausages, chorizo, brisket, corned beef and quiches.”
“The sticky buns are a staple — you can only get them on the weekends, and they sell out fast. They are a great product and a bad business decision since they’re all handmade. Inspired by one I tried near Pittsburgh, the dough is close to a brioche, rolled and topped with a caramel pecan schmear. During the week, you can grab a muffin with homemade vanilla pastry cream to tide you over.”

What else do you want the people to know?
“I love cooking, I started at age 9 in my mom’s apron. She was classically French-trained at a culinary school after World War II, designed to teach the wives of vets how to recreate the dishes their husbands experienced in Europe. She wanted to impress her mother-in-law. My oldest brother gave me my first restaurant job as a dishwasher in his spot in San Antonio. I’ve worked in some of the best restaurants in Chicago and Dallas, but at the end of the day, I’m just a promoted dishwasher who likes making people happy with food.”

What’s next for Crossroads?
“We’re putting in a patio and working on adding dinner service. It feels good to be back, and we’re just getting started.”

Crossroads, 645 Powell Lane, Plano, Tuesday - Sunday 7 a.m. - 2 p.m.; Closed Monday