| Los Pollos Hermanos | |
|---|---|
| Breaking Bad location | |
 Logo | |
| First appearance | |
| Last appearance |
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| Created by | Vince Gilligan George Mastras |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Restaurant |
| Location | 14 different locations, with the most notable inAlbuquerque, New Mexico |
Los Pollos Hermanos (Spanish pronunciation:[losˌpoʝoseɾˈmanos];lit. 'The Chicken Brothers') is a fictionalfast food restaurant chain specializing inchicken that was featured in the television seriesBreaking Bad and itsspin-offBetter Call Saul. In addition, the restaurant is mentioned in many training videos created to further expand the universe of the show. In thefictional universe ofBreaking Bad, Los Pollos Hermanos is featured as afront organization forGus Fring'smethamphetamine manufacturing and distribution, but is also highly regarded by the general public of theSouthwest as a regionalchain on par withKFC. The set used for the restaurant'sAlbuquerque location in the show was at a series ofTwisters locations inSouth Valley, New Mexico. As a result of this, Twisters has seen an increase in business attributed to being associated withBreaking Bad. Due to the show's popularity, Los Pollos Hermanos has appeared on numerous occasions as a real-lifepop-up restaurant. The real life restaurant serves the same menu items as in the show.
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Los Pollos Hermanos was founded by Chilean nationals and business partnersGus Fring (played byGiancarlo Esposito) andMax Arciniega (James Martinez) in Mexico.[1] Anapocryphal story as told in a fictional television commercial suggests that it was inspired by recipes cooked by Gus' uncles. Eventually, Gus emigrated to the United States and opened branches primarily inNew Mexico, and the chain grew to have 14 locations throughout theAmerican Southwest. Los Pollos Hermanos trucks were used to smuggle drugs manufactured by the show's fictional drug cartel across theMexico–United States border. A large chicken farm for Los Pollos Hermanos at the outskirts of Albuquerque served as a front where the incoming meth was processed and shipped to the various stores and other destinations. Fring kept the restaurants themselves clean of any business related to drugs.
The company eventually became a subsidiary of a fictional German shipping conglomerate, Madrigal ElectromotiveGmbH, whose connections Fring used to further increase the outreach of both his legal and illegal operations. After Fring's death at the hands ofWalter White (Bryan Cranston) andHector Salamanca (Mark Margolis), the chain was closed, with the flagship restaurant in Albuquerque being replaced with aTwisters (the same restaurant which is used as the filming set in real-life).[2]
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WhileBreaking Bad was still being aired in 2013, Twisters claimed to have received a 10% increase in revenue due to its association withBreaking Bad.[3]
In 2014, aCook County, Illinois man was arrested and charged with several crimes including the manufacturing ofmethamphetamine, and wore a Los Pollos Hermanos shirt in his mugshot.[4][5]Breaking Bad creatorVince Gilligan revealed on a 2015Reddit AMA that there were talks at Sony to make Los Pollos Hermanos into a real restaurant.[6]
The logo for Los Pollos Hermanos was created in 2008 by Mexican artist Humberto Puentes-Segura. Topanga Productions, a subsidiary ofSony Pictures, the producer ofBreaking Bad, began selling merchandise including T-shirts and hats displaying the Los Pollos Hermanos logo. In 2016, Puentes-Segura sued Sony Pictures and Topanga Productions, claiming he did not permit Sony to license or sell merchandise using the logo.[7]
In 2017 Los Pollos Hermanos opened as a series ofpop-up restaurants across several cities. It was announced to open from April 9–10 in New York City onPearl Street, although the pop-up only offeredcurly fries and not chicken at all, possibly to avoidNYC Health violations.[8][9] It also appeared in Los Angeles on April 10–11,[10] andAustin, Texas forSouth by Southwest.[11] On April 11–12, a pop-up event occurred at Thirsty Bird inPotts Point, New South Wales, with Giancarlo Esposito making a visit on the first day.[12]Netflix, the international distributor for the series, also organized two separate pop-up events in Italy on May 12–13 at real fried chicken restaurants inRome andMilan which were decorated to look like Los Pollos Hermanos restaurants.[13][14]
In 2017, theLos Pollos Hermanos Employee Training miniseries was released as a promotion forBetter Call Saul Season 3. It won the award for Short Form Comedy or Drama Series at the69th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.[15]
On January 20, 2018, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the beginning ofBreaking Bad, the Twisters location used to film the restaurant on the show was temporarily renovated for a single day to look like Los Pollos Hermanos.[16] The occasion was paid for by "superfans" Edward Candelaria and Marq Smith, and was allegedly unsanctioned by Sony Pictures or AMC.[17][18] The event also coincided with the beginning of filming forBetter Call Saul Season 4, and severalBreaking Bad cast members, including Ian Posada (Brock Cantillo) andJeremiah Bitsui (Victor), appeared at the event.[19][20]
In August 2018,Postmates offered a limited-time delivery service for Los Pollos Hermanos in Los Angeles and New York City.[21][22]
In late 2019 the "Breaking Bad Experience" pop-up restaurant operated on 7100Santa Monica Boulevard inWest Hollywood, California, and included items reminiscent of Los Pollos Hermanos.[23] A few days later, it was announced thatdelivery kitchen network Family Style Inc. partnered withSony Pictures Consumer Products and began being offering Los Pollos Hermanos throughUber Eats in select markets, starting with Los Angeles.[24][25] A pop-up location inVenice Beach, California also opened on October 24, 2019 for the premiere ofEl Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.[26]
The food court at theUniversity of Aberdeen previously featured a fried chicken outlet withLos Pollos Hermanos branding.[27][28]
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