Breaking into the U.S. Nando’s Fires Up Peri-Peri Chicken

Spicy chicken has become a craze in the restaurant industry . Whether we are talking about Wendy’s spicy Nuggs, KFC’s Nashville Hot, or Dave’s Hot Chicken, there is an undeniable craving for chicken with some serious kick. All of these American chicken chains have their own version of a spicy sauce or rub, yet what about some international spice? Nando’s has been marinating their chicken since 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and now they are slowly spreading across the U.S. Let’s find out what makes their chicken so special and why it might make you reach for the milk.

1987 was a difficult time for South Africa as it was still dealing with apartheid while trying to hold a general election. The social and political strife would be difficult to found a business under, yet that is when the famous Nando’s got its start. The restaurant’s claim to fame is their Peri-Peri chicken. We see plenty of hot honey or ghost pepper used in the preparation of American chicken, yet we don’t have anything like Peri-Peri. What makes it so unique is that it is a blend of Southeast African spices and Portuguese techniques. It is created using the African Bird’s Eye Chili which gets its signature flavor and heat from Mozambique’s soil and sunshine. The Bird’s Eye Chili was popular with Portuguese explorers who took the pepper and added lemon and garlic, creating Peri-Peri. The founders of Nando’s, Fernando Duarte and Robert Brozin, encountered the spice at a Portuguese restaurant and loved it so much that they believed they could base an entire concept around it. Now, the rest of the world believes it too.

Nando’s has now set up shop in 20 other countries. They first entered the U.S. in 2008 and have recently begun to ramp up expansion. Their unique take on spicy chicken has given them an edge over more familiar chains. It also helps that the American palates are changing and that consumers are more willing to try restaurants outside of the traditional fare. The company has significantly expanded in the U.S. over the last few years and the Perir-Peri spice has shown that it is not a fad. The company has also made their famous sauces available in supermarkets in the U.S. and other countries. The company was able to go from a single location in 1987 to 1,000 by 2012.

U.S. consumers looking for a spicy kick to their chicken are unlikely to find something more unique than Nando’s. The chain does offer mild flavored chicken, yet that would mean missing out on the flavor that combined two different cultures and launched a franchise . Possibly Nando’s most impressive accomplishment is how quickly it spread in so many different markets. It is hard enough tailoring your brand for the U.S. market, yet they were also able to generate a presence in multiple international markets that include Australia, U.K., and Portugal. As word of the wonder of Peri-Peri spreads, it appears that Nando’s is ready to become the next major chicken franchise in the U.S.