What do David Beckham, Niall Horan and Ed Sheeran all have in common? Their love for Nando’s famous peri-peri chicken. In case you don’t know, Nando’s is pretty much the equivalent of Chipotle in the UK, but instead of serving up Mexican food, Nando’s focus is on chicken. They have a growing fan base that’s comprised of predominantly students; in fact, two die-hard fans started up a website to rate every single Nando’s branch in the UK. Talk about free publicity.
Photo courtesy of paperboatslove.wordpress.com
History
Although they now have over 1,000 branches in over 24 countries, the restaurant’s idea actually originated in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1987. Out of all the countries in the world, they’ve surprisingly found the most success in UK. Why, you might wonder, and why not in the USA where there’s obviously a saturated market for all things chicken? Due to the nature of food distribution in the UK, Nando’s can be classified as fast casual dining, the same umbrella Chipotle falls under. What differentiates Nando’s from their competition is their surprisingly versatile menu that caters to everyone from health-conscience eaters to those who make use of the bottomless pit soda refills.
In the News
Despite the fact that they’ve been in the media for controversial advertising, college students just can’t seem to get enough of their peri-peri chicken. Ironically, one of the very reasons the business is doing so well is because of their somewhat scandalous claims. Check out this link to see the top 5 Nando’s TV ads and you’ll understand why.
One other aspect of Nando’s that seems to draw much attention is the all-exclusive “black card.” Nando’s is cheeky though, and on their website they neither deny nor claim to know about the existence of this card, which, if obtained, will provide you with one year of unlimited chicken. Yes, unlimited as in completely free for the black card owner and five friends. If this hypothetical person does decide to exercise their rights as fully as they can, the card is estimated to be worth around £11,000 each year: the equivalent of $18,828.
What’s next?
Now it’s a good thing you’ve been given the low down on what’s happening overseas because currently Nando’s is only in Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC. But not to worry, with plans for more franchises in the coming years, you’ll definitely get a taste of the famous peri-peri chicken that Prince Harry loves and the very same chicken that Jay-Z demanded to be waiting for him in his trailer after a concert in the UK. In the meantime, enjoy this video that Example posted featuring Ed Sheeran where they sing about their love for Nando’s.