The Original Pantry Cafe, Downtown's landmark diner, turned 100 last year. But its legacy may soon end, as KNX News reports that the iconic, formerly 24-hour coffee shop is slated to close on March 2nd, following demands from a labor union representing the Pantry’s staff and the trust who now owns it not willing to meet those demands.
In 2023, Richard Riordan, former L.A. mayor and longtime owner of the Pantry, passed away. The Richard J. Riordan Trust assumed ownership of the restaurant and listed the property for sale in August 2024.
According to UNITE HERE Local 11, the union representing workers at the Pantry, demanded “job security and continued representation” if the restaurant changed ownership. The Riordan Trust responded with two weeks’ notice that the restaurant would close.
The Pantry has long been famed as a diner that never closed, maintaining 24-hour service for over 90 years. However, the restaurant has struggled to reassert itself after the COVID pandemic, cutting service to just eight hours a day and closing its doors entirely on Monday and Tuesday. According to comments on the Pantry’s Instagram page, the reason isn’t simply operating costs but an inability to maintain a staff late at night.
The Pantry is not a struggling business. There are lines out the door every hour it’s open these days. This dispute essentially comes down to the Trust, which is not interested in operating a restaurant long-term after Riordan’s death and wants to get this property off its hands as soon as possible.