The cult-hit fried chicken chain Krispy Krunchy Chicken slapped some ads on the Carlos Santana mural at 24th and Mission, but quickly removed them after a community outcry from those who felt these were evil ways.  

The “gas station chicken" chain Krispy Krunchy Chicken has been something of a darling for those slumming it since SF Weekly raved about its extremely gas station location at 17th Street and South Van Ness Avenue in 2018. Broke-Ass Stuart threw gas on that fire with his review declaring “The Best Fried Chicken in San Francisco Might Be in a Gas Station." Krispy Krunchy Chicken would open a standalone restaurant in Fisherman’s Wharf, and just two months ago, at 24th and Mission streets in what is technically the A-Z Deli and Grill.

But that 24th and Mission location is now in hot grease with some Mission District fans. KGO reported Tuesday night that Krispy Krunchy Chicken placed ads for itself on the Carlos Santana mural outside the BART station there. A sampling of these ads can be seen above, and they were more window decorations for “Beverages and Snacks, Breakfast, Ice Cream, Fried Chicken, Sandwiches” on the storefront’s eastern-facing windows.

But to Santana’s many San Francisco devotees, the placement of ads there is like black magic.  

"This is family, this is the legacy and it's not a piece of chicken. To me, it's disrespectful not only to the neighborhood but to the whole Santana family and the whole Santana team," Santana family friend and Mission activist Richard Segovia told KGO. "I mean look, beverages, snacks, breakfast, ice cream right in front of the Santana mom and dad — Jose and Josefina Santana. It's not a billboard."

Though SFist visited the shop Wednesday afternoon, and the ads dotted along the Santana mural had been removed. The above image shows the same windows that had the “Beverages and Snacks, Breakfast, Ice Cream” signs, which were apparently removed after KGO’s report had gone to press.

"It had no bad intentions behind it besides grabbing some customers into our business,” restaurant representative Hassan Manea told KGO. “Business has been tough, but we are trying our best to keep it going."

So the ads are now gone from the windows, and the mural back to it’s original state. Though there are still some ads next to the depiction of Carlos Santana’s grandson Salvador, in an area that is technically not part of the mural, so we’ll have to Oye Como Va on whether there’s any fallout over that.

Related: SF Artist Sues City, Claiming They Illegally Used His Mural in an Ad Campaign [SFist]

Images: Joe Kukura, SFist