Nando’s is a South African multinational fast-food chain that specialises in flame-grilled peri-peri style chicken. Founded in Johannesburg in 1987, Nando’s operates over 1,200 outlets in 30 countries. Their logo depicts the Rooster of Barcelos, one of the most common symbols of Portugal.

The restaurant was founded in 1987 in Rosettenville, Johannesburg by Mozambique-born Fernando Duarte and South African-born Robert Brozin. Upon visiting a Portuguese-Mozambican takeaway named Chickenland, and trying the chicken with peri peri (a sauce that was first developed in nearby Mozambique and further refined in South Africa before being exported to other Portuguese territories and mainland Portugal) they bought the restaurant for about 80,000 rand (equivalent to about £25,000 at the time). They renamed the restaurant Nando’s after Fernando’s firstborn son. By 1989, the restaurant had three outlets in Johannesburg and one in Portugal. Capricorn Ventures International acquired the chain in 1992.

In 2010, Advertising Age magazine named Nando’s one of the world’s top 30 hottest marketing brands alongside Tata Nano, MTN and Natura. During the same year, the success of Nando’s in the U.K. led The Guardian to write that Nando’s is a modern restaurant brand that has “changed the face of British fast food.” In 2012, Nando’s 1,000th store worldwide opened. As of July 2014, the Nando’s restaurant group was ultimately owned by South African businessman Dick Enthoven and his family, through the Luxembourg-domiciled company Yellowwoods. Enthoven’s son, Robby Enthoven who took over running the restaurants in 1993, was responsible for expanding the Nando’s chain in the United Kingdom.

In 2018, American-based recruitment website Indeed named Nando’s as the UK’s sixth-best private-sector employer based on millions of employee ratings and reviews.