The legendary Original Pantry Cafe in Downtown Los Angeles closed its doors on Sunday, March 2, 2025. The 24-hour diner had operated seven days a week for most of its history but closed due to a dispute between unionizing workers and its owner, the Richard J. Riordan family trust.
The diminished foot traffic after the pandemic and other legal factors led to the historic eatery’s closure, marking a sad day for Los Angeles. Fans stood in line for hours during the restaurant’s last weekend to get a final taste of the home-cooked ham steak and eggs, pancakes, fried potatoes, and crunchy coleslaw.
Richard Riordan
In 1981, former LA mayor Richard Riordan purchased the Original Pantry Cafe after a server told him he ate too slowly while reading a book. The mayor-turned-restaurateur exclaimed in 2008, “I fell in love with it right then.” Riordan operated the cafe for decades, opening Riordan’s Tavern next door and feeding thousands of Angelenos.
Original Pantry Cafe’s Public Appeal
The restaurant was notable for its eclectic atmosphere and its ability to cater to families, business people, night owls, and college students. Wood-paneled dividers separated its tables, and it featured a long open kitchen and a front counter that offered views of the bustling short-order cooks working over hot grills. It became one of LA’s most iconic eateries, leaving thousands of diners without their favorite late-night spot.
The restaurant built its Los Angeles legacy on its 24-hour service, making it a haven for night owls and early risers.
The Original Pantry Cafe survived many challenges over the years. In the 1950s, it escaped a freeway project, moving its location to make way for an off-ramp, cementing its legacy among Angelenos.
The cafe was famous for its lack of door locks and had rarely closed throughout its history. It remained open during the 1992 Los Angeles riots but temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. After pandemic restrictions were lifted, the Original Pantry Cafe operated with limited service hours from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and until 5 p.m. on weekends. Riordan passed away in 2023, and his family’s trust assumed ownership of the restaurant, ultimately deciding to sell it to fund its philanthropic operations.
Struggling to Make it Work
The Original Pantry Cafe struggled to operate at full capacity after the COVID-19 pandemic, due to diminished foot traffic, a decline in in-person office workers, and a decrease in Downtown Los Angeles residents. It abruptly closed following the January 2025 wildfires.
Weeks before Riordan passed away, workers filed a class-action lawsuit alleging unpaid overtime, rest, and meal breaks. The case remained in settlement talks as of February. Since the restaurant shut down, union workers sought to strike a deal requiring any new ownership to honor their existing contract. That never materialized, and the workers, represented by Unite Here, filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board in early February. The charges were dismissed due to a “lack of cooperation from the Charging Party.”
A Shift in Funding
The family trust attributes the restaurant’s closure to a decision to maximize its foundation’s financial resources, not the pandemic. The trustees, who primarily focus on academic charity initiatives, decided last summer to close the restaurant and sell the property to fund their foundation work.
Though the Richard J. Riordan Trust is attempting to sell the business, the union still wants to ensure that new owners honor the existing labor contract. Union spokesperson Kurt Peterson said, “It’s still open from their perspective.”
Downtown locals had hoped the restaurant would return to its pre-pandemic heyday with a rise in housing levels. Even with the closure of the Original Pantry Cafe, the entertainment district around Downtown LA continues to attract thousands of visitors to the Crypto.com Arena and LA Live.
