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Hymie Sckolnick, founder of the iconic Montreal eatery Beauty’s, has died at the age of 96.

The son of Jewish Russian immigrants, Sckolnick bought the Bancroft Snack Bar for $500 in 1942. He rechristened the restaurant as a nod to his bowling nickname: Beauty.

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Beauty’s quickly earned a reputation as one of the city’s finest greasy spoons — a place specializing in bagels, roast beef sandwiches and other Eastern European comfort food. It served what many food critics considered one of the best hangover breakfasts in the city.

Photo by Graham Hughes / Montreal Gazette files

“There should be a statue of Hymie Sckolnick erected,” said award-winning food writer Alan Richman in a 2015 interview with the Montreal Gazette. “He’s unbelievable, the single best thing in Montreal — maybe even the world.”

At the time, Richman was particularly impressed by the fact that 74 years after Sckolnick founded the restaurant, he still showed up to work every morning at the crack of dawn.