Chicken eatery Nando's a resounding success
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1,000 customers flock to Nando’s at Bugis Junction a day.
Singapore, May 23, 2010- Newly opened Portuguese flame-grilled chicken chain Nando’s in Bugis Junction has been attracting hoards of people since it opened for business two weeks ago.
The 120-seater casual restaurant has been packing in 900 to 1,000 customers every day.
Mr Robert Brozin, founder and chief executive officer of Nando’s, says the response is phenomenal and he had not expected such numbers.
But one would think the 50-year-old South African is used to such queues.
After all, there are now more than 900 Nando’s outlets in 32 countries – the biggest markets being the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and Malaysia.
Nando’s here is a joint venture between Nando’s Chickenland Malaysia, which owns and operates 33 outlets there, and master franchiser Nando’s Resources.
A second Singapore outlet is already in the works. It will be taking over the space formerly occupied by McDonald’s in Tanglin Mall, while a third outlet is slated to open later this year.
Nando’s first opened here in 1997 at Marina Square under the operation of a different franchisee, but closed shortly after, possibly due to the financial crisis, Mr Brozin says.
The idea of starting a global flame- grilled chicken chain began 23 years ago over the course of several meals at a humble Portuguese chicken shop in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Co-founders Brozin and business partner Fernando Duarte, who were working together in an electronics company at the time, just could not get enough of the shop’s juicy and succulent chicken.
And it was that chicken which inspired them to start a business of their own.
Mr Brozin says: “We wanted to create a business where we could have fun and make money. When we started out, we took a view that work should be pleasure.
“We had not thought too much about it, but we knew we wanted to be global even though we did not know what it looked like then.”
The duo learnt many lessons along the way, he says.
They expanded into overseas markets too quickly without a strong base in one country, ran into cash-flow problems and were unsuccessful in their first attempts to set up shop in the UK, Portugal and Australia.
But he likens Nando’s tenacity to a boxer in the ring.
They stuck it out. It took 15 years to build and establish their brand.
These days, the chain is well known for its flame-grilled peri-peri chicken which has four levels of spiciness.
The price of a quarter chicken starts from $9.90.
Nando’s plans to focus on growing its existing markets, which also includes parts of Africa such as Zambia and Botswana as well as the Middle East.
Mr Brozin says: “I knew that it (flame-grilled Portuguese-style chicken) was the right product for the times.”
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If I don't end up at vivocity in the evening tomorrow, this will be my dinner.
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Looks good man.
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wooo nice chicken~
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looks nice but expensive.
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When it comes to food, if it's good, I dun mind paying a premium once in a while.
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Originally posted by meltz:
wooo nice chicken~
KFC getting jealous...
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I passed by this restaurant while having lunch at the Lenas restaurant beside them yesterday! The food looks so delicious OMG
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The picture looks nice and tasty.
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Delicious chicken..
