Hymie Sckolnick, the founder of one of Montreal’s household dining establishments, died Monday. He was 96.
Sckolnick founded Beauty’s, a greasy spoon that stands among some of the most iconic Montreal comfort-food eateries.
He bought the restaurant on Mont-Royal Avenue and Saint-Urbain Street in 1942.
“He was here every single day,” said Anne-Marie Beaudoin, an employee who has worked at the diner since the 1980s.
“He was an inspiration, not just to myself, but to everybody.”
Sckolnick was known for working the diner’s door, even on busy weekends.
The diner is open 364 days a year, and he worked there as recently as October.
“He would sit at the end of the counter right there, and he would take out a place mat. And that was his list,” Beaudoin said.
According to granddaughter Julie Sckolnick, the business will continue to operate under the same family’s ownership.
Sckolnick’s funeral will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. The diner won’t be open that day.