After 101 years of service, The Original Pantry Cafe, one of Los Angeles’ most iconic restaurants, shuttered on Sunday, March 2.
Closing its doors was a rarity for the establishment. Since 1924, the Original Pantry Cafe had mainly operated 24/7. It was known for its diner staples, such as country-fried steak and eggs, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, burgers, fried potatoes, and Portuguese sausage.
The restaurant’s ambiance reflected the city’s busy nature, welcoming families of all stripes, early-morning workers, late-night owls, and college kids. It had all the hallmarks of a traditional diner, with tables separated by wood-paneled dividers and an open kitchen where a seat at the front counter offered a lively kitchen of short-order cooks preparing the menu’s best.
Former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan purchased the eatery in 1981 after a server told him he was eating too slowly while reading a book.
“I fell in love with it right then,” Riordan told the Los Angeles Times in 2008.
Riordan operated the restaurant for decades and opened Riordan’s Tavern next door.
A post on the restaurant’s Instagram page on April 20, 2023, announced the death of Riordan, writing, “We are saddened to announce the passing of Mr. Richard Riordan, Thank you for all the wonderful memories and for being the greatest boss of all time. You will be greatly missed. 
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After his death, the Richard J. Riordan family trust assumed ownership and planned to sell the restaurant to focus on philanthropic efforts.
The Los Angeles Times reports citing a dispute between unionizing workers and the trust over the abrupt closure. Last week, the Los Angeles Times reported that Unite Here Local 11, the union representing the restaurant workers, tried to renegotiate a contract where the trust would agree to keep employees and their union representation even under new ownership.
The trust responded by threatening to shutter the restaurant. It ultimately decided to do so after its last day, serving fans who waited for hours over the weekend to get a final taste of the diner’s offerings.
Some users expressed concern and confusion over the closure on social media, with one user on Instagram asking, “What will happen to all the workers?”
“Did the Riordan Trust sell this icon to Frank McCourt? Why is the Original Pantry being closed permanently and lifelong employees being forced from their jobs?” wrote another Instagram user.
Other fans of the restaurant reflected on its place in the city’s late-night scene before the coronavirus pandemic. Like many other restaurants disrupted by the pandemic, the Original Pantry Cafe’s original service hours remained permanently altered, only operating from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and until 5 p.m.
“Hands down my favorite restaurant of all time my whole entire life! But I hate that it closes early now!! I wish it was still open 24 hours because it was the best late at night,” a user wrote on the restaurant’s top Instagram post.
Others lamented the news, including an Instagram user who wrote, “Your pancakes were my comfort plate, and everything I love is crumbling, this economy is really no help
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