Owner of Beloved Chili Parlor Featured in Quentin Tarantino Film Dies

Scott Zublin, the owner of a famed downtown Austin, TX., bar and restaurant and known to locals simply as "Zoob," has died. He was 67.

The Austin Business Journal was first to report Zublin's death. The Austin native purchased the iconic Texas Chili Parlor in 2002 after the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts was forced to take control due to unpaid taxes.

Zublin, whose cause of death is not known, paid off the bar and restaurant's debt nearly 20 years ago and then sought to restore the iconic bar to its glory. Zublin fell in love with the bar as a patron when he first visited after the bar originally opened in 1976.

The Texas Chili Parlor is a hole-in-the wall on Lavaca Street in downtown Austin and just steps from the state Capitol. Some of the restaurant's regulars includes politicians, celebrities, lobbyists and journalists. It has been featured in publications such as Southern Living magazine and Food Network's The Grill Dads. The restaurant was also famously featured in Quentin Tarantino's 2007 film "Death Proof." Texas Chili Parlor also makes a cameo in Guy Clark's track "Dublin Blues."

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The joint paid homage to Zublin this week with a sign that reads, "What time is it! Love you Scott Zublin!" Patrons also left yellow roses and flower arrangements in front of the nearly 50-year-old restaurant.

As for the bar and restaurant's future, the Austin Business Journal reported that locals fear the site will be redeveloped into an upscale joint and wipe out an Austin staple known for its retro vibes.

It's unclear who will now run the famed parlor, but "the intent is to keep Zublin's dream alive."