Adaptive Reuse - Chicken Shack

Larry @ Zankou Chicken, WeHo

Last night Larry and I zoomed up to the newest branch of Zankou Chicken on Sunset Boulevard, just east of Fairfax at Orange Grove. Being a fan of novelty architecture, I always like hot dog stands shaped like hot dogs; chili con carne places shaped like chili bowls and hamburger joints shaped like a big ol' burger. I also like the look of the original Kentucky Fried Chicken buildings all over Los Angeles, with the Colonel's face smiling down on us. I never really liked the KFC chicken recipe, but the chicken shack design was always agreeable. The Colonel is gone, but the building remains on Sunset Boulevard.

Mosaic Counter

From a fried chicken shack to a rotisserie chicken shack! What could be a more perfect adaptive reuse? Why, they didn't change the USE of this building at all, they just changed the recipe for the better! This Zankou chain has a spiffed up interior that utilizes the basic design of it's original KFC building. The owners added newer, cleaner surfaces, rocky mountain stone, beautiful mosaic and some colorful light fixtures to the basic beamed ceiling interior.

Original Beamed Ceiling

They re-surfaced the parking lot, put up some tables with umbrellas on the side patio, added more rocky mountain stone, attractive landscaping and completely overhauled the kitchen. YES!

Colorful Light Fixtures

The menu has the same delicious offerings as other branches of Zankou, so the food is great!

1/4 Chicken Plate w/ hummus, pita, vegies, garlic sauce

Hey Zankou! There's another KFC on La Brea, just north of Pico. How 'bout bringing a branch of Zankou Chicken closer to our house?