MONTREAL—Since 1932, Moe Wilensky’s diner has been serving up his special sandwich the same way: uncut, with mustard.

One of Montreal’s great institutions, Wilensky’s is celebrating 80 years as a family-run restaurant. Time hasn’t changed much at the corner of Fairmount Ave. and Clark St. Inside, the restaurant still has the same nine stools it has always had.

Behind the counter, 92-year-old Ruth Wilensky is right where she’s been for deacdes.

“It became a homey atmosphere, everybody likes the same thing, everybody likes to come back to a natural place that hasn't built up with crazy, new, different equipment,” said Ruth.

The grill used to cook up the Wilensky special of salami and bologna is the same one Ruth's husband Moe convinced his father to buy back in 1932, when the young man had a plan to expand the family business.

And the grill's not the only nod to the past.

“Everything in the store is since 1932,” said Ruth. “If it’s not broke, don't fix it.”

That commitment to consistency has been a winning recipe. Cutomers like Norman Cohen have been regulars since the doors opened.

“I’ve been coming for 80 years, well, 79-and-a-half,” said Cohen, a life-long customer. “The best sandwiches are made right here and they're called Wilensky specials.”

From an early age he was hooked.

“They opened on St-Urbain and Fairmount. I used to go there with my grandfather,” said Cohen, who was with two of his grandchildren, passing on the tradition.

Word of mouth established Wilensky's as an institution.

“We always have new people coming in saying, ‘Somebody told me I have to come here,’ and so we're always generating new customers,” said Sharon Wilensky, a member of the younger generation behind the counter.

People like Dorthy Levine.

“Would you believe today is our first day? We’re from Toronto and my son, who now lives here in Montreal, said ‘Don't you dare go home until you go to Wilensky's diner,’” said Levine, as she admired the pickles.

International exposure immortalized Wilensky's. Mordicai Richler wrote about the restaurant in The Appreticeship of Duddy Kravitz. Part of the movie based on the novel was shot in the restaurant.

“Certainly that did not hurt us at all. I mean every tour guide it says, ‘Immortalized in the film Duddy Kravitz,’" said Ruth.

They don't take tips at Wilensky's. Any money left on the counter goes straight to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.