Some of the best meals we’ve had in Suffolk have been at Front Street Restaurant.

The rice and kale soup, crabcake sandwiches and decadent desert menu have caused us on more than one occasion to overindulge. That coupled with the elegant atmosphere made for a dining experience that was difficult to equal.

So it was with no small amount of shock and regret to see signs out front advertising an auction Wednesday signaling the end of Front Street’s run, the latest in a long line of downtown area eateries to come and go.

The restaurant business is tough — one of the toughest. Help is hard to find, let alone good help. Margins are typically low and the work is hard. It’s the rare few that last long.

Nonetheless, it’s always sad to see downtown businesses fail, for whatever reason.

Alas, all is not lost. New ones always come along. On New Year’s Eve, Baron’s Pub opened at the corner of N. Main and Market to rave reviews and Kelly’s Tavern in the former Video Update building on Constance Road will be open any day now, so downtown Suffolk will have a net gain of one.

Judging by the amount of traffic, there are enough potential customers in the downtown area for a restaurant or two to succeed and we hope Downtowners will patronize Baron’s and Kelly’s so we have some options other than fast food.