Has Houston lost the last few locations of its most iconic 24-hour diner? That, sadly, appears to be the case.

A tipster called the Houston Press to inform us that all employees at the 3801 Farnham location at Shepherd were asked to leave and to return on Thursday to pick up their final checks. We were told that none of the employees were expecting to be laid off, and the caller said that the restaurant seemed busy during breakfast hours. Some of the employees have been with that 59 Diner location for several years and were reportedly given no time to make preparations for this unexpected turn of events.

A visit to the Willowbrook area location at 17695 Tomball Parkway (Highway 249) revealed that it is also closed. The phone number for the Stafford location is out of service. (Updated 3/1/2016, 2 p.m.: A few readers messaged us to say that there was briefly a location in The Woodlands that is also now closed.)

The signs posted on the doors differ. The ones posted at the Farnham location indicate it is closed for remodeling, while the ones at the Willowbrook location simply read, "Sorry we are closed." Both closings were verified around 7 p.m. on Monday, February 29, but the exact reasons are unknown at this time.

At one time, 59 Diner had several locations, including near Memorial City Mall and in Katy, but most have closed over the past few years. The Farnham, Tomball Parkway and Stafford locations were possibly the last few remaining.

So much for our favorite do-it-yourself dish.

We will post more details on this story as we receive them.

