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A reliable place for late-night eats in the West Island since 1974, Chenoy’s Saint-Jean Blvd. location closed its doors earlier this month, ending an era for diners with a 24-hour craving for a smoked meat sandwich, a “nice” bowl of matzoh ball soup, or a towering piece of cheesecake.

Dollard-des-Ormeaux was home to the last surviving Chenoy's, a restaurant whose original location opened its doors in 1936 on Saint-Laurent Blvd. with the tongue-in-cheek claim that it was open for business 25 hours a day. Other franchises included eateries in Lasalle, Brossard, Gatineau, and Chomedey, Laval.

The Dollard-des-Ormeaux location opened in 1974, launched by Morty Chenoy and later sold to brothers Nick and Costa Sigounis in the 1980s. For over 50 years the restaurant served up breakfast, lunch, supper, and dessert to bar-goers, shift workers, and families who enjoyed a vast menu and generous portions.

A notice taped to the door informs prospective diners of the bankruptcy and warns against the removal of any property from the premises. A glimpse through the window’s horizontal blinds shows a restaurant that appears unchanged, with its cozy red booths and stained-glass chandeliers bearing “Chenoy’s 1936” giving off their final nostalgic vibes.

Local response to the closure is mixed, with some customers pining for the restaurant’s heyday while others are bracing for what the future will bring. Whatever the circumstances behind the landmark institution’s closure, memories of Chenoy’s will live on in the hearts and slightly clogged arteries of many.