Health Inspectors Close Restaurant Owned by Mayor

Los Angeles County health inspectors closed the Original Pantry restaurant Wednesday, shutting the historic downtown eatery for the first time in its 73-year existence and upsetting its majority owner, Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.

The 24-hour short-order diner, whose slogan is “We Never Close,” was cited for 36 health code violations, including improper storage of raw meat and food kept at unsafe temperatures as well as multiple equipment violations, according to Noelia Rodriguez, Mayor Riordan’s spokeswoman.

Rodriguez said most of the violations involved the restaurant’s equipment, and that “there was never any question about the quality of the food.”

Department of Health Services inspectors ordered the restaurant closed about 5:30 p.m. after examining the premises for 90 minutes, Rodriguez said.

About 60 customers who were eating in the restaurant left after finishing and were not told of the closure.

A Pantry waiter had to stand at the entrance on Figueroa and 9th Streets to tell incoming customers of the closure. Because it never closes, the restaurant has no locks on its doors. Rodriguez said customers--including those eating at the time of the closure--were not told why the restaurant was shut down because such notification is not required by the health department.

Riordan was “extremely disappointed” by the closure, Rodriguez said, because health department officials contradicted directions they had given the Pantry’s manager, Duane Burrell, earlier in the day.

Rodriguez said the restaurant initially was given its failing grade Tuesday by two inspectors, who told Burrell to meet with county health officials Wednesday morning to discuss how to bring the establishment into compliance with health codes.

Burrell said he was told at the morning meeting that the restaurant would have eight days to remedy its cleanliness violations and six weeks to correct equipment and physical plant problems.

“It’s a mystery. In the morning there was a clear direction and agreed-upon timeline, and that was reversed without explanation,” Rodriguez said.

The Pantry’s inspection score was 55 out of a possible 100 points, Rodriguez said. A score above 60 is considered a passing grade.

Burrell said the Pantry had not failed a restaurant inspection in the 25 years he has worked there as a manager. The restaurant’s last inspection was June 24, when it was cited for reusing food from relish trays on individual tables and for employees eating in the food preparation area. Burrell denied that food was reused and said the restaurant has since built an employee dining area.

According to Rodriguez, health department officials said Wednesday that the restaurant might be able to reopen today if space under the lunch counter used to store dirty rags is cleaned, as well as the wall and floor in back of the stove. Rusted racks used to store cooked potatoes also have to be removed.

Riordan, who eats breakfast at the Pantry weekly, is expected to visit the restaurant this morning.

The Pantry shutdown is the latest in a series of restaurant closings in the wake of a recent series of television reports on restaurant sanitation. Other noteworthy restaurants ordered closed include Nate and Al’s in Beverly Hills, Jerry’s Famous Deli in Studio City and Ocean Star Seafood in Monterey Park, all of which have reopened.