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A restaurateur who owned more than a dozen eateries across sa国际传媒官网网页入口 鈥� including Yanni鈥檚 and Nick and Jimmy鈥檚 鈥� has died.

Nick Kapnison, 93, died in his sleep on Tuesday, surrounded by family. He is survived by his two daughters, Nicole and Annamarie Kapnison.

Born to a Greek immigrant father Paul Kapnison and Dorothy Kapnison in Muscatine, Iowa, in March 1932, Kapnison attended Wentworth Military Academy before moving to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 after his mother contracted tuberculosis.

Kapnison was an entrepreneur by 26, when he opened his first sa国际传媒官网网页入口 restaurant 鈥� Coney Island. After that, Kapnison was hooked on the restaurant business, opening the original El Patron, Mykonos Cafe and Taverna and Milton鈥檚 before expanding his business to Acapulco, Mexico.

鈥淗e made such a mark on the restaurant industry in New Mexico,鈥� Nicole Kapnison said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 a job for him, it was his whole life. That鈥檚 just who he was, he was a restaurateur.鈥�

Nicole Kapnison said it was her father who reinvigorated Nob Hill in 1994, at a time when restaurants were not thriving.

鈥淗e eventually took over all the retail spaces in Nob Hill at a time when it was really suffering,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t really needed more restaurants and more vibrant businesses, and he brought that to the area.鈥�

Kapnison was focused on providing his employees with opportunities, going as far as offering tuition reimbursement to several employees and helping others receive their citizenship.

Isabel Ozechowski was an employee at Nick and Jimmy鈥檚 for nearly 10 years, splitting her shifts between bartending and serving. After she expressed how difficult it was to be a single mother going to school, Kapnison began a tuition reimbursement program to help his employees.

鈥淚 really do attribute a lot of my success later in life to Nick,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e was a big part of my life, and he was very supportive of me.鈥�

Judy Hartmann-Ortiz was an employee at Yanni鈥檚 for 27 years, and said that working for Kapnison was 鈥渁 joy.鈥�

鈥淗e was pretty strict, but that showed that he deeply cared about the place,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e was there 24/7, which is unheard of for owners, and he knew all of the customers that came in, and he talked to everybody.鈥�

Kapnison was known for being hands-on with his restaurants, cutting steaks, seating guests and prepping food, adding to the charm of his many eateries.

Beyond his restaurant career, Kapnison also opened a number of nightclubs, an employment center and a payroll company. He was a member of the Greek Orthodox Church, receiving the honor of archon 鈥� a respected leader or servant of the community who is honored for their outstanding service to the church.

Funeral services will be held June 24 at the Greek Orthodox Church in sa国际传媒官网网页入口, and the Kapnison family welcomes the community to celebrate Kapnison鈥檚 life.