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Zankou expands thriving chicken chain

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  • Zankou expands thriving chicken chain

    Los Angeles Daily News, CA
    May 9 2005

    Zankou expands thriving chicken chain

    By Alex Dobuzinskis
    Staff Writer


    BURBANK - For the owners of Zankou Chicken, the road to success has
    been filled with challenges and personal tragedy.
    But with entrepreneurial perseverance and spirit they have refused to
    give up. Today, Zankou has six locations, is preparing to open an
    eatery in Burbank, and its owners have hopes of seeing it operate
    coast to coast.

    "We always plan to keep it within the family and to grow at a
    reasonable pace so that we don't open in the wrong location or that
    we (don't) grow so fast that it implodes on itself," said Dikran
    Iskenderian, 28, who runs the business with his mother, Rita
    Iskenderian, and three brothers.

    And the restaurant may have the broad appeal to succeed: Zankou, long
    a popular dinner destination for Armenian-American residents in
    Glendale and Hollywood, last month expanded with a new store in West
    Los Angeles. The company's Anaheim location - where Zankou's
    Mediterranean flavors have attracted a loyal Arabic clientele - also
    has been a success.

    Started in 1962 when Iskenderian's grandparents opened in the
    Armenian quarter of Beirut, the business has survived Lebanon's civil
    war and a move to a new country. In 1999, singer-songwriter Beck
    referenced Zankou in a tune called "Debra."

    But tragedy befell the family in 2003 when Dikran's father, Mardiros
    Iskenderian, 56, shot his own mother, Margarit Iskenderian, 75, and
    her daughter, Dzovig Marjik, 45, before taking his own life.
    Authorities said he had advanced brain and bladder cancer, and his
    medication may have affected his judgment.

    Dikran Iskenderian remembers the success his father had in growing
    the business, often donating food to charities, and expanding from a
    single location in Hollywood to locations in Glendale and elsewhere.

    "We're doing well and we're holding up, and we're going to push
    further and further," Iskenderian said.

    Iskenderian said he dreams of opening a location in New York, which
    he sees as ripe for Zankou's brand of Mediterranean food. A member of
    the family could move to New York and oversee the business, he said.

    For many customers such as Garen Yegparian, 43, of Burbank, Zankou
    has been a longtime staple. Yegparian says he remembers going to
    Zankou Chicken after first coming to California from New Jersey,
    where he grew up.

    Since his father was going without Armenian food in Toms River, N.J.,
    Yegparian took him a container of garlic from Zankou. "It's the
    garlic, definitely the garlic. It's a good package, reasonably
    healthful," Yegparian said of Zankou's offerings.

    The Iskenderians hope their new Burbank location attracts customers
    such as Yegparian and others from Burbank, as well as people from
    west Glendale who might not be inclined to drive to Zankou's Glendale
    location near Eagle Rock.

    The new location also will be more upscale, sporting arches, a high
    ceiling, a mosaic and a patio, said Iskenderian, who added that the
    new image is designed to counter the company's reputation for having
    good food but plain decor. The Burbank location is expected to open
    by September at 1001 N. San Fernando Blvd.

    "It's not going to be too flashy, but it's modern Mediterranean
    design," Iskenderian said. "That's the design we're going for."
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