LA's historic Original Pantry Café to reopen on New Year's Day

The Original Pantry Café, a historic downtown Los Angeles diner that closed six months ago during a labor dispute, will reopen at the start of next year, it was announced Thursday.

The diner on Figueroa Street and James M. Woods Boulevard that first opened in 1924 will be under new ownership by real estate entrepreneur Leo Pustilnikov when it reopens Jan. 1 after it shut down in March, according to a news release.

“I'm excited to reopen and see them back here,” Pustilnikov said Thursday. “I feel like The Pantry is sort of the story of LA. It's had its ups and downs and, hopefully, much like LA and much like downtown, the reopening will boost the rebirth of downtown.”

Pustilnikov and officials with Unite Here Local 11, which represents its employees, spoke at a celebratory event Thursday morning outside the restaurant to announce the reopening. The diner and union reps came to an agreement that will allow the reopening with the same group of workers.

“Were so happy for this new resolution,” said Jesus Moran, a server at the Original Pantry for 48 years. “We hope to serve Los Angeles for another 100 years. To our customers, thank you for your support during our events, and to UNITE HERE Local 11 and Mr. Leo for bringing us back. We look forward to serving lots of pancakes again.”

The union called the restaurant's planned reopening “a ray of hope in a dark time for our city.”

The owner of East Los Tacos has hired three former employees of the Original Pantry Café, following its closure after being in business over 100 years. Jonathan Gonzalez reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on April 18, 2025.

“That the Original Pantry will reopen is not just a union victory — it is a Los Angeles victory,” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11. “It's a love story with a storybook ending, arriving at a moment when our city needs it most. The Pantry's dishwashers, cooks, and servers — with more than 300 years of service between them — never gave up. They are true heroes of Los Angeles. Lets go eat some pancakes.”

The restaurant closed March 2 after the union and the Richard J. Riordan Administrative Trust, which owned the restaurant following the 2023 death of former Mayor Richard Riordan, who had owned it since 1981, were unable to reach an agreement to require the trust to keep on the employees and their union representation even under new ownership.

Javier Vasquez and friend Richard Rios came from Baja California to be at the Thursday announcement, ready for lunch, but will have to wait until 2026.

“He had me jump out of bed just to come to this place today,” Rios said. The thing that brings me here is the coleslaw and the bread and the steaks.

“The feast here is really great. The service is awesome. I used to come here even as a younger man and just to come back again was really exciting.”

Diana Garcia has worked at the diner for 17 years.

“Now we can breathe and are super thankful to be here with this new owner and this new miracle that this even happened,” Garcia said.

During the closure, some employees, like Alejandro Ortiz Saldana, started working at East Los Tacos. They created East Los Pantry, offering he same Pantry staples including pancakes, sausage patties and those famous Pantry potatoes every morning and early afternoon.

Ortiz Saldana said she plans to stay at her new job.

“I miss the Pantry, too, because I've been in service for almost 25 years,” she said. “I miss talking to my customers. I miss a lot of things. I'm happy here, but I think that's my first home.”