Shortly after The Original Pantry Cafe in downtown L.A. shut its doors earlier this year, a handful of its longtime cooks found a home in East L.A.
Droves of customers followed them to East Los Tacos, affectionately dubbed East Los Pantry, a taqueria that began serving the Pantry’s classic American breakfast staples: fried potatoes, eggs, pancakes, bacon and sourdough bread.
So when news came this week that The Original Pantry Cafe would reopen, many wondered what that would mean for the cooks in East L.A.
Luckily for them, East Los Pantry isn’t going anywhere. “We will continue serving breakfast and will continue to provide jobs to our current employees,” said co-owner Erika Armenta.
Armenta came up with the idea to hire Pantry cooks after thinking of the workers who, after decades at the cafe, would be left without a job. Adding breakfast to the taqueria’s menu allowed her to hire additional staff. Today, seven of the 14 employees at East Los Tacos are former Pantry cooks. At least one has confirmed he’ll return to the downtown restaurant, Armenta said, while others are still deciding.
“[Workers] shared with us that making this decision is very hard because East Los is their new home,” Armenta said. “They are grateful because we opened our doors to them at a time of uncertainty.”
A handful of longtime Pantry cooks have been serving breakfast staples at East Los Tacos since losing their jobs when the diner closed on March 2. (Photo by Jacqueline Ramirez/ Boyle Heights Beat) 
A group of workers at the Original Pantry Cafe in downtown L.A. (Photo courtesy of Alejandro Ortiz) 
Breakfast staples served at East Los Pantry. (Photo by Jacqueline Ramirez/ Boyle Heights Beat)
The historic Pantry Cafe, which opened in 1924 at the corner of 9th and Figueroa streets, is set to reopen after UNITE HERE Local 11— the union representing the restaurant’s workers — reached a deal with the new owner, according to LAist. A reopening celebration is planned from 9 to 10 a.m. Thursday.
For now, Armenta says, customers can enjoy Pantry favorites at not one, but two locations.
“We are happy this iconic restaurant is coming back. We are happy that many people are going to recover their long-loved jobs,” said Armenta. “We’re hoping we will have enough demand. That’s a little bit of a scary thing because we don’t know how many of the customers will stay with us.”
How to visit:
East Los Pantry
Address: 4500 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90022
Open Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Phone: (323) 508-3092
