Legendary Los Angeles Restaurant the Original Pantry Cafe Suddenly Closes After 101 Years

101 years later, Original Pantry Cafe It was closed on Sunday, March 2, 2025 in downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times. The legendary diner, which ran 24 hours a day for most of its existence, was closed due to a dispute between workers unionizing workers and their owner, Richard J. Riordan Family Trust. Fans waited hours over the weekend to get the final taste of Down Home Diner, which specializes in ham steak and eggs, steak, pancakes, fries and crispy coleslaw.

In 1981, former LA mayor Richard Riordan bought the original pantry cafe after the server said he was eating slowly while reading the book. “I fell in love at the time,” said Riordan. I said Los Angeles Times In 2008, Riordan ran a pantry cafe for decades and opened a Riordan tavern next door, feeding Angelenos’ generation. That’s what the Pantry Cafe was like Notorious for lack of door locksand only closed a few times in its sacred history: It remained open during the 1992 Los Angeles uprising However, they were forced to temporarily close in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. After pandemic restrictions were lifted, restaurants resumed on weekdays from 7am to 3pm until 5pm on weekends rather than the usual 24-hour operation.

When Riordan passed away in 2023, his family’s trust had planned to take ownership and sell the restaurant to fund charity. Even after yesterday’s closure, union workers protested in front of a united restaurant just after 6pm here, representing and submitting it. Accusations of unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Commission On February 7th, there were allegations that the closure violated federal labor laws. On February 25, the NLRB dismissed the charges due to “lack of cooperation from the charging parties.” Unions can still appeal the decision. A class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of workers in April 2023, weeks before Riordan’s death, alleging unpaid overtime, rest and meal breaks. The incident remained in settlement talks as of February 2025.

Matthew Kang

Matthew Kang

The Richard J. Riordan Trust is about to sell its business, but the union still wants to ensure that the new owners respect the existing labor contracts. “It’s still open from their perspective.” Union spokesman Cart Peterson I said The era.

The often bustling atmosphere of restaurants can be attributed to families, business types, night owls and university students. The long open kitchen and front counter provided a view of busy short order dishes rattling the spatura over the steel top grill. It was undoubtedly one of the most iconic restaurants in Los Angeles history. The sudden closure will come in the aftermath of a wildfire in Los Angeles in January 2025 Covid-19 Pandemic that It has been significantly reduced, In-person office workerand Residents of Downtown Los Angeles. In recent years, locals in downtown have been betting on a Going back to pre-pandemic business and Residential leveland most nights this year, the area around LA Live and Crypto.com Arena continues to attract thousands of visitors.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.