Nando's



Nando's is an international casual dining restaurant chain originating in South Africa, with a Mozambican/Portuguese theme. Founded in 1987, Nando's operates about 1,000 outlets in 30 countries.

Nando's specialises in grilled chicken dishes with various piri-piri marinades.

History
The restaurant was founded in 1987 in the Johannesburg suburb Rosettenville when Portuguese-born audio engineer Fernando Duarte took his entrepreneur friend Robert Brozin to a Portuguese takeaway called Chickenland for a meal. After trying the chicken, cooked in piri piri, a chilli sauce originating in Mozambique, they bought the restaurant for about 80,000 rand (equivalent of about £25,000 at the time). They renamed the restaurant Nando's after Fernando. After two years, the restaurant had four outlets: three in Johannesburg and one in Portugal. By 2013, around 1,000 Nando's branches were in 35 countries.

In 2010, Advertising Age magazine named Nando's as one of the world's top 30 hottest marketing brands. As of July 2014, the Nando's restaurant group is ultimately owned by South African businessman Dick Enthoven and his family. Enthoven's son, Robby Enthoven, was responsible for expanding the Nando's chain in the United Kingdom.

Food
Nando's specialises in flame-grilled peri peri chicken. The chicken is served in quarters, halves, wholes, and butterfly breasts. It also serves burgers, pitas, salads, wings and wraps. In some countries, Nando's sells chicken livers, espetadas (a large stand with a skewer of chicken breast and grilled peppers) and cataplana (a chicken and rice dish served in a traditional Portuguese copper dish). A range of sides are available to order with these main dishes such as spicy rice, coleslaw, garlic bread, corn on the cob, creamy mash, chips, mixed leaf salad and macho peas.

Global locations


Nando's has locations in: Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Botswana, Canada, Fiji, India, Ireland, Malaysia, Mauritius, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Swaziland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

South Africa
The first Nando's restaurant was opened in South Africa in 1987 by Fernando Duarte. By 1997, there were 105 Nando's restaurants in the country.

Botswana
Nando's has been operating in Botswana since 1993.

Mauritius
There are three Nando's restaurants in Mauritius.

Namibia
Nando's launched in Namibia in 1995.

Swaziland
There are two outlets in Swaziland, in Mbabane and Manzini.

Zambia
Nando's began operating in Zambia in 2002.

Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, there are a total of 11 restaurants.

Bangladesh
Nando's has been running in Bangladesh since 2007. The first restaurant was opened in Dhanmondi area. It is running there as a franchised business. All four of the outlets in Bangladesh sell halal foods.

India
Nando's opened restaurants in India in late 2010. , Nando's has restaurants in five cities. Nando's plans additional expansion in India.

Malaysia
Nando's has been established in Malaysia since 1998. As of May 2015, there were 69 restaurants operating throughout the country.

Pakistan
Nando's has been established since 2001, It has currently eight restaurants nationwide.

Qatar
In Qatar, Nando's has been established since 2001, with the first restaurant located on Salwa Road.

Singapore
In Singapore, Nando's opened its first restaurant on 9 May 2010, there are eleven outlets in Singapore.

United Arab Emirates
Nando's in UAE was established in 2002. There are currently 18 Nando's restaurants operating throughout the country.

Bahrain
In Bahrain, Nando's have 3 restaurants operating throughout the country.

Saudi Arabia
In November 2016, Nando's returned to Riyadh and opened its first restaurant in Rubeen Plaza located near Exit 2 on the Northern Ring Road.

Ireland
Nando's was first established in Ireland in 2008. The company opened its flagship restaurant on St Andrew Street in the city centre of Dublin in November 2011, employing 60 staff members to manage a 3,800 sqft space spread over two floors. As of early 2015, they have expanded to a total of 10 outlets in Ireland.

United Kingdom
Nando's opened its first UK restaurant in 1992 in the west London suburbs of Ealing and Earls Court, initially focusing on takeaway food. The UK arm, owned by the Enthoven family via a private equity company, struggled until chairman Dick Enthoven put his son Robert in control. The focus then moved from takeaways to a mixed service (counter ordering and table service) model. Branches also chose individual design and decor to move away from a restaurant-chain image. The company employs around 8,000 staff in the UK and, as of 2013, had over 280 branches in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with some 60 being halal.

In 2010, Nando's UK won the Sunday Times's best place to work award in the big company category. Its sauces and marinades were also retailed in UK supermarkets.

Nando's claims to have the largest collection of South African art in the UK, with over 5,000 works displayed in restaurants; original artworks are commissioned by the company.

Nando's takeaway can also be ordered online to be collected in store.

Canada
Nando's has operated since 1994 in Canada, with branches in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.

United States
Nando's opened its first United States location in 2008 in Washington, D.C. Nando's currently has over 30 restaurants in the US: seven in the Chicago area, four in Washington, D.C.; thirteen in Maryland; and six in Virginia.

Australia
Nando's has been in the Australian marketplace since 1990, when the first restaurant opened in Tuart Hill in Western Australia. there were over 270 restaurants in Australia, with further growth planned. Nando's Australia uses certified Halal chicken throughout its chains, and they do not come in contact with any non Halal food items. However, they do sell alcohol and bacon in many restaurants.

New Zealand
Nando's opened their first store in Glenfield in 2000. there are 31 Nando's outlets in New Zealand.

Australian illegal immigrants advertisement
In Australia, Nando's ran an advertising campaign based around the 2002 political controversy regarding the mandatory detention of illegal immigrants. The detainees had been waging a hunger strike campaign, even resorting to physically sewing their lips closed. Nando's adverts proclaimed that the strikers "decided to unsew their lips after hearing the news that with every Nando's quarter chicken combo, Nando's are giving away an extra quarter chicken free". Melbourne's Sphere Advertising said that the ad was designed to spark controversy, saying that they knew that "there's a section of our audience that's going to be uncomfortable... but we want to evoke a response".

Malema advertisement
During the South African national elections of 2009, Nando's made an advert lampooning African National Congress Youth League then president Julius Malema by using a puppet that resembled him. Malema's lawyers sued Nando's and the original advert was removed. However, an altered version was released, with the puppet's face pixelated and the voice altered. The puppet used in the advert was later sold at auction for R100,000 which was donated to an educational charity.

Last Dictator advertisement
In 2011 Nando's launched a "Last dictators" advert in South Africa. The 60-second commercial shows a sad Robert Mugabe dining alone at Christmas in a large mansion while he reminisces about "happier times" with former dictators, such as playing water tag with Muammar Gaddafi, making snow angels in the sand with Saddam Hussein, singing Karaoke with Mao Zedong, pushing P. W. Botha on a swing set, and riding a tank with Idi Amin in a similar fashion to Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet embracing each other from the movie Titanic while the music from "Those Were the Days" is being played. Musekiwa Kumbula, holder of the Nando's franchise in Zimbabwe, said his group "strongly feels the advertisement is insensitive and in poor taste". The advert also offended Chipangano, a Zimbabwean youth militia loyal to Mugabe, who then demanded an apology from Nando's, threatened to boycott the South Africa-based chain, and demanded the ad be withdrawn or the restaurant face retribution. Nando's South Africa subsequently withdrew the advert citing threats to its staff in Zimbabwe from a youth group.

Tax haven
Both The Guardian newspaper (UK) and the American non-profit publication ICIJ received documents in July 2014 revealing the details of past and present offshore clients of wealth managers Kleinwort Benson, including the Nando's restaurant group. The Guardian published its belief that, through the use of businesses in Malta, Guernsey and the Netherlands, Enthoven legally reduces the group's UK corporation tax bill by "up to a third". According to the British newspaper, Enthoven's profits eventually accumulate in the Kleinwort Benson-managed "Taro III Trust" that is based in Jersey and contains at least £750 million.

While no member of the Enthoven family agreed to speak with The Guardian, a company representative responded to the publication's invitation to respond and explained that UK tax laws are not applicable to Enthoven, as "He [Enthoven] is not resident in the US or the UK." The spokesperson also stated that, in the UK, Nando's paid corporation tax of £12.6 million on a profit of £58.2 million for the year ending February 2013.

Nando's Black Card
For several years Nando's repeatedly denied that numerous celebrities were issued with a special 'Black' card enabling free meals and soft drinks for five people at any time. Nando's false denials on social media were unwittingly revealed by two musicians who were donating free food to the homeless in Manchester, UK.