The Unique Pantry, the enduring eatery in downtown Los Angeles that closed earlier this 12 months, is about to make a comeback.
The diner, which had been serving up scorching espresso, burgers and breakfast platters for greater than 100 years, was acquired this week by actual property developer Leo Pustilnikov.
Pustilnikov purchased the Unique Pantry’s almost 8,000-square-foot constructing on James M. Wooden Boulevard with the blessing of hospitality union Unite Right here Native 11. The union, which represents Pantry staff, inked a cope with Pustilnikov making certain that the diner would maintain union illustration and convey again all 25 staff who misplaced their jobs when it closed in March.
Pustilnikov has an electic set of actual property pursuits, having amassed high-end properties from Beverly Hills to Redondo Seashore alongside a slew of supportive housing models on Skid Row. He plans to reopen the diner on New Yr’s Eve, if he’s capable of purchase the mandatory permits and licenses in time.
“I wanted to buy the Pantry because it’s a piece of L.A. history,” Pustilnikov instructed The Occasions. “Some of those employees have worked there for almost 50 years, I’d like for them to be able to finish out their careers in a place they love and made successful. I never actually considered buying it without them.”
The restaurant’s former proprietor, the Richard J. Riordan Belief, abruptly shuttered the restaurant in March after a labor dispute. Pustilnikov acquired the restaurant constructing and a parking zone for patrons throughout the road for a complete of $5.5 million in a sale that closed Thursday, he stated.
On Thursday morning, the shuttered diner was adorned with festive purple, white and black balloons. A cake embellished to appear like a stack of pancakes dripping with maple syrup rested on a close-by folding desk. Staff and their households, in addition to union organizers, labor leaders and L.A. Metropolis Council members Ysabel Jurado and Curren Value gathered outdoors for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“Now we can breathe,” stated Diana Garcia, who has labored on the diner for 17 years. “We’re all excited to come back.”
Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Right here Native 11, credited staff for staging protests and fundraisers to maintain the diner open.
“The Pantry’s dishwashers, cooks, and servers — with more than 300 years of service between them — never gave up,” Petersen stated in a press release.
The Unique Pantry opened in 1924 and constructed its Los Angeles legacy on its 24-hour service, turning into a well-recognized hang-out for evening owls. The restaurant modified its location within the Nineteen Fifties when the constructing of a freeway off-ramp compelled it transfer. Then, former Mayor Richard Riordan took over the restaurant in 1981 as half of a bigger land deal.
Tensions between possession and staff kickstarted in April 2023, when Pantry staff filed a lawsuit alleging unpaid wages for time beyond regulation, and relaxation and meal breaks. Two weeks later, Riordan died. Possession of the diner then transferred to Riordan’s belief, which sought to promote the enterprise.
Earlier this 12 months, Unite Right here Native 11 tried to barter phrases that will require any new proprietor to honor staff’ present union contract. However after a tumultuous backwards and forwards, possession as an alternative closed the restaurant and laid off its staff. The property was listed on the market two months later.
A few of Pustilnikov’s different inroads in downtown L.A. have been contentious. In 2011, he and two rich traders sought to buy half a dozen growing older buildings with a price of greater than $100 million. However lower than a 12 months later, the offers fell by means of amid allegations of fraud.
Since then, Pustilnikov has constructed up his portfolio, and made strikes final 12 months to purchase 1,500 Skid Row residences. His efforts to run one of many largest collections of supportive housing models in Los Angeles have confronted some difficulties. However he has stated that, with the mission, he hopes to satisfy the overwhelming housing want in Skid Row by filling a whole lot of vacancies within the models.
Occasions workers writers Paige St. John and Liam Dillon contributed to this report.
