The original pantry cafe in downtown LA was closed 101 years later

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For most of that run, the original pantry cafe in downtown LA literally did not close. In fact, signs along James M. Wood Boulevard are lined up by patrons of an all-night breakfast regularly for French toast and steaks and eggs.

However, on March 2nd, the previous 24-hour diner (as in many places, that time was shortened after the pandemic) appears to have served their last meal after nearly 101 years of working along Figuero A Street.

Why did the original pantry cafe close?

In short, post-pandemic lulls, transition of ownership, and labor disputes. As Los Angeles outlined by The Times, former LA mayor Richard Riordan became the owner of the landmark meal destination in 1981, and after his death in 2023, the mission was transferred to Richard J. Riordan’s administrative trust. The trustee, who otherwise focuses on the academic charity initiative, decided last summer to close the restaurant and try to sell the property to fund the basic work.

An employee of a member restaurant, part of Local 11, which is part of Unite, has tried to attack a transaction that requires new ownership to respect existing contracts. Because that never happened, the union filed a lawsuit with the National Labor Relations Commission, which was rejected last month. Meanwhile, the owner announced its intention to close the restaurant on March 2nd.

Photo: Timeout/Stefanie Bragio

The trust does not directly attribute the closure plan to the pandemic, but instead cites the need to maximize foundations’ financial resources, but it is impossible to underestimate how profoundly COVID-19 has impacted both business and surrounding neighborhoods. When the original pantry cafe re-expressed from a period of service-restricted pandemic guidelines, it, like many other previous late-night staples, was open from 7am to 3pm or 5pm from 24/7 operations. It also meant that staffing levels had been reduced by about a third of what they had been in the past. The momentum of the rest of the DTLA appears to have halted the screeching at the same time. Look at the vacancy rates for office buildings that are rising above 30%.

So is this exactly leaving the restaurant? The final pay was distributed on Sunday, and employees were asked to leave the facility, according to the Times. At the same time, member representatives say “it’s still open from their perspective” and they plan to continue picketing out the front line. Because of its value, the original Pantry Cafe has not yet updated its online list to “closed” and its online ordering portal still shows the pickups available on Wednesday.