Rumors about Trey Parker and Matt Stone's love of fried chicken are rampant in West Los Angeles. From unconfirmed sightings at Dinah's in Inglewood, to questionable run-ins at Honey's Kettle in Culver City, to declarations of love for a hole-in-the-wall in New York, it wouldn't be difficult to believe that the pair have patronized many (if not all) the deep fried poultry businesses in the vicinity of South Park Studios.
So it came as no surprise that a certain famous fried chicken joint would feature prominently on their TV Show South Park, the pop-culture juggernaut of satire and wit centered around the lives of four foul-mouthed fourth graders in rural Colorado.
In the 3rd episode of their 14th Season, the four boys Stan, Kyle, Eric (Cartman) and Kenny, head to their favorite Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant only to discover that it has become a medical marijuana dispensary. This seemingly random bit of fictional fare is rumored to have been inspired by Parker and Stone's foray into Palms, where a real-life Kentucky Fried Chicken's store front that had stood vacant for more than a year had been commandeered and re-imagined as a marijuana dispensary called Kind For Cures.
Originally the store kept to the Kentucky Fried Chicken aesthetic, preserving the building colors and architecture. When word of the infamous establishment got out due to the South Park episode, a lawsuit from the YUM Corporation (The Colonel's owners) had the owners of Kind For Cures paint the iconic red mansard roof green to distance themselves from the Colonel's brand image.
With marijuana laws in California muddy and strict, Kind For Cures had its share of controversies. It was raided by the LAPD in 2009 for failure to comply with a recent ordinance that had 600 dispensaries in LA shut down. The shop reopened two months later after appeal.
Despite being back in business, pressure to close the shop was mounting in the surrounding community. With its close proximity to elementary schools, an alcoholic recovery center, two churches, the Expo Line, and Cheviot Hills, the store finally was ordered to cease operations on June 11th, 2015.
Since then, the iconic building regressed back to the empty, dilapidated storefront it was before becoming Kind For Cures and being immortalized by Parker and Stone. But new construction and renovation in 2019 hints at a possible new venture moving in to 9850 Exposition Blvd.
Whether it will inspire another episode of South Park remains to be seen.
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