Original Pantry Cafe officially closes after 100+ years in downtown LA

LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles icon closed its doors for the final time on Sunday, after more than 100 years in business. 

The Original Pantry Cafe in downtown Los Angeles held its last service on Sunday.

The backstory:

The Original Pantry and Cafe opened in 1924. The restaurant was previously owned by former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan. The cafe was put into a trust after Riordan's death, and is managed by his estate.

In January, workers were notified that the Pantry would be sold. UNITE HERE Local 11 representatives said union workers requested job protection in a contract with a new buyer.

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But, "The Pantry is demanding that, in order to avoid the closure and loss of workers' jobs, workers must give up their demand for job security and continued union representation if the restaurant changes hands," a UNITE HERE Local 11 press release said. 

The other side:

In a statement earlier this week to FOX 11, The Original Pantry said that employees and the union have known since last summer that the property would likely be sold and the restaurant would likely be closed.

According to the Riordan estate, the union, seeking to renegotiate the labor contract, demanded that any future owner of the property operate a restaurant there, accept the labor contract without renegotiation, retain all employees and go through an extensive process to change any of the restaurant's operations. The estate called these demands "totally unacceptable," because they would hurt the estate's ability to find a buyer.

"Per the Mayor’s expressed wishes and legal requirements, the estate must maximize the value received by his estate’s largest beneficiary, The Riordan Foundation," the estate's statement read. The estate said that selling the property is the best way to do that.

"It was the Mayor’s desire, and is the legal obligation of his estate, to ensure that the Foundation has the maximum resources to help our entire community, not simply to benefit the several dozen current employees of the Pantry," the statement continued.

What they're saying:

The lines at the Original Pantry Cafe are typically long on Sunday, but this Sunday they were longer than usual, with some waiting for hours to get one last meal in.

"I think it's amazing, actually, because it brings the community together," said one diner. "I've been in line for four hours now, but it's like we've met so many people."

Other diners said they'd been coming to the restaurant for decades, and know several of the employees by name.

"They treat us like family," said another diner, "so this is really sad what is happening right now."

For Marisela Granados, who has worked at The Pantry for 26 years, seeing this outpouring of support from customers is bittersweet.

"I have no words, all the people are right here, supporting us," Granados said. "Since last week and this week, it's heartbreaking… yeah, heartbreaking."

What's next:

The restaurant closed for seemingly the final time at 5 p.m. on Sunday. The trust is in the process of trying to sell the property. It's not clear what will happen after that.