Iconic diner that closed after 100 years in business makes comeback

A historic Los Angeles diner that served customers for more than a century is preparing to reopen after closing last year, with a new nonprofit business model that will direct all of its profits toward homelessness programs.

The Original Pantry Cafe, which first opened in 1924, is expected to reopen Nov. 19, according to SFGATE. The downtown Los Angeles restaurant closed in March 2025 after more than 100 years in business.

Under its new operating model, the restaurant will serve as a social enterprise for Hope the Mission, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that provides meals, shelter, housing and other services to people experiencing homelessness.

The nonprofit says 100% of the diner’s profits will support its homelessness programs and projects that the restaurant could generate nearly $50,000 per month to help fund those services.

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To support the reopening, the nonprofit also launched an $800,000 fundraising campaign to cover renovations, kitchen equipment, initial staffing and food inventory.

The reopening is also expected to bring longtime union employees back to work following an agreement between new owner and real estate developer Leo Pustilnikov and UNITE HERE Local 11.

Some employees had worked at the restaurant for more than four decades before it closed, according to the union. The agreement was announced in September 2025, months after the restaurant shut its doors amid a labor dispute involving the previous ownership.

The restaurant was previously controlled by a trust associated with former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, who died in 2023.

While the ownership and operating model are changing, the restaurant plans to maintain its familiar dining experience, including its original recipes and the return of longtime employees.

“Come in for the food. Leave having done something good,” the restaurant says on its website.

The restaurant’s new mission builds on Hope the Mission’s existing operations. The nonprofit says it prepares and serves nearly 9,000 meals daily and operates 35 shelters and interim housing sites.

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The restaurant is located at 877 South Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles.