GETTING A LEG UP ZANKOU EXPANDS THRIVING CHICKEN EMPIRE.

Byline: 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.''

Alex Dobuzinskis, [phone]

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Dikran Iskenderian stands in front of the Burbank construction site. He runs Zankou with his mother and three brothers.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer