On Sunday, downtown Los Angeles lost another iconic restaurant, the original pantry cafe has been serving hot coffee, burgers and breakfast trays since 1924.
news Plan to close When customers seek farewell meals at the restaurant on the corner of 9th Street and South Figueroa Street.
The shutter itself is painful. After the door closed, the remaining 25 workers at the restaurant gathered inside and received a Manila envelope containing their final check and refused to leave with the support of the union.
“From their perspective, it’s still open,” said Peterson, who said here, who represented workers for decades, Co-Chairman of the 11 union. “They told management that they wanted them to change their minds.”
This restaurant establishes Los Angeles heritage, rather than elegant fare (it has a Yelp’s mediocre 3.7 rating), but in 24-hour service, making it a safe haven for night owls and early rises.
Restaurants survive past threats. It escaped the 1950s highway project and moved its location to the ramp. Former mayor Richard Riordan took over the restaurant in 1981 as part of a larger land deal.
“When I fell in love with the pantry, I was having breakfast, coffee, and I had a book reading.” Quote Leodan In the times. “I was very relaxed, and the waiter came over and said, ‘If you want to read, the library is in fifth place, hope.’ At that time I fell in love with it.”
However, the quarantine policy of the 19009 pandemic caused a heavy blow, forcing restaurants to limit hours. Despite $1.7 million in federal loans (with the exception of $500,000 in forgiveness, 82 jobs were retained in the restaurant), workers said there were only about 2 and two employees before Sunday’s closure.
The proposed class action lawsuit filed a lawsuit on behalf of the pantry in April 2023, accusing unpaid overtime, rest and meal breaks, Los Angeles court records show. Two weeks later, Lildan died. The wage case is still the last February settlement negotiations, the documents show.
The restaurant’s ownership was transferred to Riordan’s trust, which said it attempted to sell assets to support its philanthropy. The union attempts to negotiate the need for any new owner to commemorate the terms of the existing contract. This did not happen, and the union filed a complaint against the National Labor and Industrial Relations Commission.
Attorney Carl McKinzie, the CEO of the trust that runs the pantry, declined to comment on Sunday. He referred reporters to a lengthy preparatory statement issued to the media earlier this week, saying sales negotiations have been underway since last summer.
After the restaurant door closed Sunday, representatives of the trust arrived and tried to distribute envelopes containing the final salary. She placed them on the table when the workers didn’t step up to take them.
“They left the envelope on the table and then abandoned the back,” said a table server that named him only Alex. He said he had been working in a restaurant for 24 years. “No, thank you. She said nothing.”
Management called LA police as workers tried to stay behind, and eventually police told employees that they faced trespass charges if they stayed. Union deputies said there was no incident in the pantry workers, but the union’s Peterson was still cited.
Alex is not sure what might happen next week, except for the people who will have placards and signs in the league. Union officials said they don’t know if there are already new owners in the wings.
The storage room online ordering service is still operating on Sunday. The Times reporter was able to place takeout orders for French toast on Wednesday.
