Original Pantry Cafe workers not giving up on efforts to reopen restaurant, bring back jobs
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Juan Diaz worked at the historic Original Pantry Cafe in downtown Los Angeles for 33 years. He remembers just about every moment.
"I lived my whole life at pantry," he said. "I started when I was just 20 years old, so all my life, morning, afternoon, night, was working."
Diaz is now one of dozens of workers without a job after the restaurant's sudden closure earlier this month.
"I really want to cry," he said. "I was thinking, 'What's going to happen?' My 33 years here ... these people are my second family."
READ MORE | Iconic Original Pantry Cafe in downtown LA closes after 100 years
On Friday, workers gathered outside the restaurant to host a pancake fundraiser to help raise money for those former employees in need. They spent all morning making fresh pancakes, hoping it'll make a difference.
"We're still fighting, we still want to go back to our job," said Diana Garcia, who worked at the restaurant for 17 years. "It's pretty much our second home. We dedicated so many years of our lives, and we're upset and sad they displaced us."
The beloved restaurant first opened in 1924 and was once owned by former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan. The restaurant has been at Figueroa and 9th streets since 1950.
After Riordan's death two years ago, ownership shifted to the Riordan Trust. Longtime workers at the restaurant say the new owners decided to close the restaurant rather than try to meet the demands of the workers' union. They held protests in hopes of saving their jobs.
Eyewitness News was unable to reach any representative for the ownership for comment.
The support from the public has been overwhelming, but the workers simply want their home away from home to reopen.
For now, they're staying hopeful.
