Zankou Chicken
A family-owned Southern California restaurant brand known for Armenian and Mediterranean rotisserie chicken, shawarma, falafel, and garlic sauce.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Zankou Chicken is a family-owned Armenian and Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant brand associated with the Los Angeles area. Its best-known offerings are rotisserie chicken, shawarma, falafel, tahini, salads, and a thick garlic sauce developed within the Iskenderian family. The brand's name comes from a river in Armenia, reflecting the Armenian heritage of its founders and operators. The first Zankou Chicken restaurant opened in 1962 in Bourj Hammoud, an Armenian neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, under Vartkes Iskenderian and his family. The business later closed after a family dispute involving Vartkes's son Mardiros and the family's departure from Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War. In 1983, after relocating to Los Angeles, Mardiros Iskenderian re-established the concept in East Hollywood's Little Armenia, at Sunset Boulevard and Normandie Avenue. The location was positioned to serve Armenian, Lebanese, and other Middle Eastern immigrants, as well as the wider Los Angeles market. The Los Angeles restaurant became particularly associated with its dense, pungent garlic sauce, created by Mardiros's wife, Markrid Iskenderian. Alongside the rotisserie chicken, the sauce became a signature product and a widely recognized part of the brand's identity. Zankou's menu combines Armenian and broader Eastern Mediterranean influences, with chicken plates, wraps, shawarma, falafel, hummus, tahini, pickled vegetables, and salads. The restaurants are generally positioned as accessible counter-service or fast-casual establishments rather than full-service dining venues. Expansion produced a geographically dispersed Southern California presence, but the business did not remain under unified family control. In 1991, the family agreed to divide the operation: Mardiros would control new locations, while the original Sunset and Normandie restaurant would remain with his parents and sisters. After Vartkes Iskenderian died in 1992, the separate family branches continued to operate different groups of restaurants. The brand is therefore best understood as several related family-operated chains using the Zankou Chicken name rather than as a conventional centrally managed national chain. A major family tragedy in 2003 further affected the business. Mardiros Iskenderian fatally shot his sister, Dzovig Marjik, and his mother before taking his own life. The incident, widely referred to as the Zankou Chicken murders, occurred amid the continuing division of the family enterprise. In subsequent litigation, Mardiros's widow, Rita Iskenderian, unsuccessfully sought sole control of the Zankou Chicken trademark in the California Court of Appeal case Iskenderian v. Iskenderian. Despite the ownership fragmentation, Zankou Chicken remained a recognizable Los Angeles-area food brand. Restaurants associated with different family branches have operated in communities including East Hollywood, Glendale, Burbank, Downtown Los Angeles, Pasadena, West Los Angeles, Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Valencia, Van Nuys, Tarzana, Granada Hills, Thousand Oaks, Montebello, and other parts of Southern California. Locations operated by Rita Iskenderian's group serve halal-certified chicken; the Anaheim restaurant has also been described as serving halal beef. The brand has received continuing popular-culture exposure through music, television, comedy, books, and food-focused programs, reinforcing its status as a distinctive Los Angeles institution.
History
Zankou Chicken traces its origins to the Iskenderian family and the Armenian community of Bourj Hammoud in Beirut. Vartkes Iskenderian and his family opened the first restaurant in 1962. The name Zankou refers to a river in Armenia, linking the business name to the family's Armenian background. The Beirut restaurant eventually closed after a violent dispute involving Vartkes's son, Mardiros, and the family's flight from Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War. The concept was revived in the United States after the Iskenderian family moved to Los Angeles. In 1983, Mardiros Iskenderian opened a restaurant in East Hollywood's Little Armenia, at Sunset Boulevard and Normandie Avenue. He identified an opportunity to serve the growing Middle Eastern immigrant population, including Armenian and Lebanese people displaced by conflict in Lebanon. The restaurant also attracted a broader Los Angeles clientele through its quick service, moderate pricing, and distinctive menu. The most recognizable product associated with the restaurant became its thick garlic sauce. The sauce was created by Mardiros's wife, Markrid Iskenderian, and became a defining accompaniment to the chain's rotisserie chicken and other dishes. Zankou's menu developed around Armenian and Mediterranean flavors, including chicken, shawarma, falafel, tahini, hummus, salads, and related mezze-style items. The brand's restaurants have generally operated in a counter-service format and have been especially visible in neighborhoods with Armenian, Lebanese, Middle Eastern, and broader immigrant communities. Growth led to a formal division of the family business in 1991. Mardiros wanted to open additional locations, and the family agreed that new restaurants would be associated with him while the original Sunset and Normandie location would remain under the control of his parents and two sisters. Vartkes Iskenderian died in 1992, after which different family members continued to develop separate groups of restaurants using the Zankou Chicken name. The division became inseparable from a serious family tragedy. On January 14, 2003, Mardiros Iskenderian fatally shot his sister Dzovig Marjik and his mother and then killed himself. Reports associated the incident with Mardiros's serious illness, including late-stage colon and brain cancer, and the event further complicated the ownership and public history of the brand. Rita Iskenderian, Mardiros's widow, later pursued control of the Zankou Chicken trademark. The California Court of Appeal case Iskenderian v. Iskenderian, decided in 2006, did not grant her sole control. The result is an unusual business structure: Zankou Chicken is a recognizable restaurant brand, but its locations have been divided among related family ownership groups rather than consolidated under one clearly centralized company. One group is associated with Haygan Iskenderian, another with Rita Iskenderian, and a further restaurant with Vartkes Marjik. The restaurants have operated across the greater Los Angeles region, including Hollywood, Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, Anaheim, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Valencia, Van Nuys, Tarzana, Granada Hills, Thousand Oaks, Montebello, and other communities. The brand's cultural reach extends beyond its restaurants. Zankou Chicken has been referenced in Beck's song "Debra," in the television comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm, in Conan and Saturday Night Live material, and in books and food-focused programming. It also appears in discussion of the true-crime case surrounding the 2003 family murders. Through its food, family history, and strong Los Angeles identity, Zankou Chicken has become a regional institution rather than a conventional national chain.
- 2013
Green Armenia contribution
[1]The brand is listed among contributors to Green Armenia, an initiative focused on environmental concerns in Armenia.
- 2006
Trademark litigation
[1]The California Court of Appeal hears Iskenderian v. Iskenderian, in which Rita Iskenderian seeks sole control of the trademark and is unsuccessful.
- 2003
Family tragedy
[1]Mardiros Iskenderian kills two family members and himself, an event later known as the Zankou Chicken murders.
- 1992
Death of founder Vartkes Iskenderian
[1]Vartkes Iskenderian dies, leaving the developing restaurant business to multiple family branches.
- 1991
Family business is divided
[1]The family separates ownership responsibilities between the original restaurant and new locations.
- 1983
Los Angeles restaurant established
[1]Mardiros Iskenderian re-establishes the restaurant in East Hollywood's Little Armenia after the family's move from Lebanon.
- 1962
First restaurant opens in Beirut
[1]Vartkes Iskenderian and his family open the first Zankou Chicken restaurant in Bourj Hammoud, Beirut, Lebanon.
Products and positioning
Accessible Armenian and Mediterranean fast-casual dining with a strong neighborhood and diaspora identity.
Main dishes · 1962
Rotisserie chicken
The core product of Zankou Chicken is Armenian-style rotisserie chicken, commonly served as a plate or meal with sides and sauces. It anchors the brand's identity and is the dish most closely associated with its Los Angeles restaurants.
Sauces
Garlic sauce
Zankou's thick garlic sauce was created by Markrid Iskenderian and became one of the restaurant's signature differentiators. It is served with chicken and other menu items and is widely recognized as a defining part of the brand experience.
Main dishes
Shawarma
Shawarma extends the menu beyond rotisserie chicken and reflects the restaurant's broader Armenian and Mediterranean positioning. It is offered in the form of plates and other fast-casual meal formats.
Vegetarian dishes
Falafel
Falafel provides a plant-based and vegetarian option within the Mediterranean menu. It is typically paired with sauces, salads, and other side dishes.
Dips and sides
Tahini and hummus
Tahini and hummus support the brand's Eastern Mediterranean menu and are commonly served alongside chicken, shawarma, falafel, and salads.
Controversies
2006
Iskenderian trademark dispute
Rita Iskenderian sought sole control of the Zankou Chicken trademark in California appellate litigation but was unsuccessful. The case reflected the unresolved division of the family-owned restaurant operations.
2003
Zankou Chicken murders
On January 14, 2003, Mardiros Iskenderian fatally shot his sister Dzovig Marjik and his mother before killing himself. The incident became closely associated with the history of the divided family business.
Marketing campaigns
- 2013Green Armenia contribution
United States · Armenia
Zankou Chicken was identified as a contributor to Green Armenia, a project intended to raise awareness of environmental problems affecting Armenia.
Outcome. The available reference identifies the contribution but does not provide a detailed campaign performance result.
Brand decisions
1991
Separate ownership of original and new locationsStrategyBackground
Mardiros Iskenderian wanted to expand the business, while other family members retained control of the original restaurant.
Action taken
The family agreed that new locations would be associated with Mardiros and that the original Sunset and Normandie restaurant would remain with his parents and sisters.
Aftermath
The Zankou Chicken name continued through multiple related family-operated groups rather than one unified chain.
1983
Re-establish the concept in Los AngelesStrategyBackground
After leaving Lebanon, the Iskenderian family considered other businesses before identifying demand among Los Angeles's growing Armenian, Lebanese, and Middle Eastern immigrant communities.
Action taken
Mardiros Iskenderian opened a Zankou Chicken restaurant in East Hollywood's Little Armenia.
Aftermath
The Los Angeles location became the foundation for the brand's Southern California presence.
- Maintain a family-operated regional modelStrategy
Background
Following the family's ownership division and subsequent litigation, restaurants remained associated with separate Iskenderian and Marjik branches.
Action taken
Different family groups continued operating restaurants under the Zankou Chicken name across Southern California.
Aftermath
The brand retained strong regional recognition but did not develop into a conventional nationally centralized chain.
Recent events
- 2013
Zankou Chicken contributes to Green Armenia[1]
Campaign · Other
Zankou Chicken was listed as a contributor to Green Armenia, an initiative drawing attention to environmental problems affecting Armenia.
- 1991
Family ownership divided among multiple Zankou Chicken groups[1]
Other
The Iskenderian family agreed to divide ownership and operating control, with Mardiros Iskenderian taking responsibility for new locations while the original restaurant remained with his parents and sisters.
Sources1 sources
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