What Is Nando’s Origin? A Spicy Story of Peri-Peri, Passion & Portuguese Roots
Craving bold flavour and wondering, “What is Nando’s Origin all about?.” Nando’s is more than just a chicken restaurant.
It’s a global food experience built on fiery Peri-Peri passion, Portuguese-African heritage, and a story that started in the heart of South Africa in 1987. From its humble beginnings to becoming a cult favourite in the UK.
Nando’s Menu serves up not only flame-grilled chicken but a culture of music, laughter, and cheeky charm. In this guide, we’ll explore the real history of Nando’s, the origin of its iconic Peri-Peri sauce, and why millions can’t resist saying, “Fancy a cheeky Nando’s?”
I will share my research on Nando’s history, successful stories, products, and food chains worldwide in this article. We will explore how they started their journey and created the famous dish, “ Nandos Peri-Peri Chicken.”
Nandos Origin
Nandos Profile
| Company Name | Nando’s |
|---|---|
| Type | Private Company |
| Business | Chain Restaurant / Casual Dining |
| Founded | 1987; 37 years ago, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa |
| Originator | Fernando Duarte, And Robert Brozin |
| key People | Dick Enthoven, Owner |
| Main Product | Flame-Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken |
| Total Branches | 280 Branches with 1200 outlets in 30 countries |
Nando’s History
In 1987, two friends ate hot, spicy chicken for lunch at at a humble Portuguese-Mozambican restaurant in Rosettenville named “Chicken Land. It was a memorable taste for them. They were inspired by what they’d tasted.
They decided to share it with the world. It was the beginning of Nandos peri peri story. Now, Nandos is everywhere, and it has a warm welcome, values, and humble culture.
They bought this restaurant for 80,000 rand (25,000 pounds (ca. 11 t) at the time). They renamed it“ Nando” after Fernando’s firstborn son.
In 1989, Nando’s three outlets were established in Johannesburg and Portugal. In 2010, Advertising Age magazine wrote that Nando was a modern restaurant included among the top 30 hottest brands in South Africa. By 2012, they had opened 1000 stores in the market.
Cheeky Nandos Chain in the UK
In 2014, Nando was owned by “Dick Enthoven” who is a South African businessman. In 1993, his son Robby Enthoven expanded Nando’s Chain in the UK.
The first restaurant was opened in Ealing, west London, and its first focus was on takeaway food in the UK. Then, Nandos started a partnership with Harrison, a branding design agency, and it enhanced its business by offering mixed services, including Counter Delivery and Table service.
By this time, they had 8,000 staff. In 2013, they established 280 branches in the UK with different-design restaurants. One of their big successes was winning the “Sunday Times Best Place” award for employees.
According to them, all employees are their family. They share love with them and have fun while working on dishes. Now, their sauce and marinades are famous in the UK’s markets.
Nando’s Logo
Nando’s brand Logo shows the South African symbol of the“ Rooster of Barcelos” (Barci, pronounced Barsee) and the bond between Chicken and Peri-Peri. The Most popular sign writer, “Mark Salimu,” selected their font.
He wrote Nando’s font on wooden plates, which they then added to their design. Specialist colorist Manie Pietersen also selected the color based on the original color of red chili.
Nando’s Values
From Nando’s official site;
“Inspired by our adventurous spirit and our Pride, Passion, Courage, Integrity, and Family values, Nandocas – the name for people who work at Nando’s – are like a big, extended family.”
Initially, their slogan was “Have Fun and Make Money,” but in the right way. It is more than this because they work as a family, and it is the best place for people to work. They want to change people’s lives with kindness, humility, and heart-warming welcome.
Nando’s Values are:
Linda Reddy (Supply chain Director in South Africa) said,
“The business’s success can be attributed to several things: first and foremost, it’s the incomparable chicken. It’s also the warm, welcoming, and hospitable culture of the business; the ambiance of the restaurants, the great value that Nando’s offers, and the entrepreneurial culture instilled by its founders 37 years ago”.
Nando’s Icons
Nando’s Said;
In Southern Africa, the triangle represents family – something that’s important to us at Nando’s. It’s why you’ll see triangles featured in our look alongside other much-loved icons. The flame represents our art of the flame-grill; the heart comes from our beloved Barci. The chili is such a favorite that we added it to our name as a PERi-apostrophe and used it for our PERi-meter.
What is Nandos Peri-Peri?
Nando’s Said;
“PERi-PERi is essential to everything Nando’s does. It’s the main ingredient in our PERi-PERi chicken. It’s the sauce that lets you customize your experience at our restaurants. And because PERi-PERi is a pepper, a sauce, and a nod to our homeland, it’s who we are. You can’t have Nando’s without PERi-PERi.”
Peri-Peri is also spelled/pronounced Piri-Piri and Pill-Pilli, derived from Swahili. Peri-Peri is a South African Eye-bird Chili pepper.
Basic Info
Nando’s Peri-Peri comes From;
Nando’s originated in South Africa, but we grow our PERi-PERi throughout Southern Africa—especially in Mozambique. Responsibility is core to our business, so we empower more than 1,400 farmers by increasing our PERi-PERi across nearly 500 acres in the region. PERi-PERi is an integral part of Mozambique’s history, as the sauce reflects the blend of cultures in the country for centuries. PERi-PERi chicken eventually crossed the border to South Africa, but it all started in Mozambique.
Peri-peri is a hot chili and is the identity of Nando’s Peri-peri chicken dish. It’s a pepper rich in Vitamins A, B, and C. According to Nando, it also has capsaicin, which enhances mood: your pupils dilate, your metabolic rate increases, and there’s a rush of endorphins when you consume it!
Nando’s Peri-Peri sauce is most favorable to its customers. It is made with Peri-Peri, salt, garlic, lemon, onion, oil, and vinegar. We marinated our chicken for 24 hours in Nando’s Peri-Peri sauce.
Peri-peri sauces are the most popular item in supermarkets due to their unique flavor. Nando’s marinated chicken is marinated in different spice levels and sauces.
Is Peri Peri Nando’s Portuguese?
So many people want to know if Nando is Portuguese or South African. As we know, Nando’s origin is in South Africa, but it has a large community of Portuguese people.
By the 1970s, at the time of Portugal’s Empire Collapse, many people, especially from Madeira, had migrated to South Africa for a better life. Today, South Africa has 500,000 people and 200,000 nationals.
It’s clear that Nando is from South Africa, but has a Mozambican-Portuguese Theme and style. Nando’s headquarters were also established in South Africa.
The Word “Peri” is from South Africa, and “Piri” is from Portuguese. However, both have the same meaning as “Pepper.” Nandos Peri-Peri Chicken and Portuguese Chicken don’t have the same concept.
This is because Nando’s is a fast food chain and an international franchise. Its menu is multiculturally presented for international people, but chicken is homemade in Portuguese.
After this, people asked why Nando’s logo had a Portuguese symbol. It is simple because Portuguese is their homeland, and their logo indicates the “Rooster of Barcelos. Nando’s Chicken flavor is different from Portuguese chicken.
Nando’s Head Office Locations
| Country | City | Address |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | London | 42 Vicarage Cres, Battersea |
| Australia | Abbotsford | 40 Mollison St |
| Botswana | Gaborone, Botswana | Plot 59 Unit6 Commerce Pk, Gaborone, Botswana |
| Qatar | Doha | Al Matar St Office 6, 1st Floor, Building 344، Doha, Qatar |
| South Africa | Johannesburg | 10a Victoria Rd, Lorentzville |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai | Suite 901-904, Saeed Tower 2, Sheikh Zayed Road |
Contact Information
You can also contact Nando’s head office by email and their Contact Number, which is below.
Nando’s HR Email Address:
Nando’s Head Office Contact Number
020 39742182
Nando’s Historical Progress
| Continent | Country, Launched Year | No.of Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | South Africa, 1987 | 340 |
| Botswana, 1993 | 38 | |
| Eswatini, 2022 | 4 | |
| Mauritius, 2021 | 4 | |
| Zambia, 2002 | 9 | |
| Zimbabwe, 1995 | 14 | |
| Asia | Bahrain, 2021 | 5 |
| India, 2010 | 12 | |
| Malaysia, 1998 | 27 | |
| Pakistan, 2001 | 12 | |
| Qatar, 2001 | 8 | |
| Saudi Arabia, 2016 | 9 | |
| Singapore, 2010 | 6 | |
| United Arab Emirates, 2002 | 9 | |
| Europe | Ireland, 2008 | 13 |
| United Kingdom, 1992 | 392 | |
| North America | Canada, 1994 | 32 |
| United States, 2008 | 45 | |
| Oceania | Australia, 1990 | 155 |
| New Zealand, 2000 | 20 |
Closure
From Nando’s origin in the heart of South Africa to becoming a global favourite, this brand has always stood for more than just food. It’s about fire-grilled flavour, bold Peri-Peri passion, and moments shared around the table.
Whether you’re discovering Nando’s for the first time or you’re a lifelong fan of their famous chicken. Remembering Nando’s origin reminds us of how far a little flame, and a big heart, can go. Here’s to good food, good vibes, and the story behind every bite.
