Zankou Chicken

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Origins

The first Zankou Chicken opened in 1962 in the Bourj Hammoud neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, by Armenian Vartkes Iskenderian and his family.Citation | last = Arax | first = Mark | title = The Zankou Chicken Murders | newspaper = Los Angeles Magazine | pages = 124-129, 202-206 | year = 2008 | date = April 2008]

The chain was established within the United States in 1983 by his son, Mardiros Iskenderian, after the family immigrated to Los Angeles, California. After considering opening a dry cleaning business or selling mens suits, Iskenderian recognized a lack of restaurants catering to the growing middle eastern immigrant population in Los Angeles. The first restaurant in Los Angeles is still located in Hollywood, California at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Normandie Avenue.

In 1991 the family agreed to divide the business when Mardiros wanted to open additional restaurants. The new restaurants would be owned by Mardiros, while the original Sunset & Normandie store would be owned by his parents and two sisters.

The chain has expanded to 7 restaurants in the greater Los Angeles area; the second Zankou Chicken opened in Glendale, followed by Van Nuys, Anaheim, Pasadena, Burbank and West Los Angeles.

January 2003 Murder

On January 14 2003, after a heated argument, Zankou Chicken owner Mardiros Iskenderian shot and killed his sister, Dzovig Marjik, and his mother Margarit Iskenderian; he then took his own life in a double-murder suicide. It is believed that Mardiros was in the late stages of colon and brain cancer, which might have affected his mental faculties. [ cite web
url = http://www.laexaminer.com/mt/archives/week_2003_01_12.html
title = LA EXAMINER: JANUARY 12, 2003 - JANUARY 18, 2003 ARCHIVES
archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20060221083551/http://www.laexaminer.com/mt/archives/week_2003_01_12.html
archivedate = 2006-02-21]

Trademark dispute

In the California Court of Appeal case Iskenderian v. Iskenderian, 144 Cal. App. 4th 1162 (2006), Mardiros Iskenderian's widow Rita unsuccessfully sought ownership of the Zankou Chicken trademark.

In Popular Culture

*The restaurant was mentioned by Beck in his song Debra, from the album Midnite Vultures.

*In the episode of Charmed, Charmageddon, Phoebe makes a reference to the restaurant by saying to the demon Zankou, "What's the matter Zankou, chicken?"

*In January 2008, Adam Carolla ranted on the Adam Carolla Show about going to the Van Nuys location of Zankou Chicken, where the woman working at the time refused to give him his usual order (a half chicken, half beef shawarma plate) since it wasn't on the menu. After trying to rationalize and reason with the woman that the mixed plate he wants is comprised of half-portions of two plates of the same price, she still refused. So he left and drove 45 minutes to the Hollywood location where it was promptly served up without questions. He then drove back to the Van Nuys restaurant and began yell at the woman while showing her the mixed plate. Adam then stated that he put a "pox" (or curse) on the Van Nuys Zankou Chicken (but not the Hollywood location), and it is this very "pox" that may or may not have contributed to the double-murder-suicide.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.zankouchicken.com Zankou Chicken Official Site]