Nando’s was founded in 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa, when Fernando Duarte and his friend Robert Brozin bought a small Portuguese-style chicken takeaway called Chickenland for around 80,000 Rand.

They rebranded it as Nando’s, named after Fernando’s son, and set out to share their passion for flame-grilled chicken infused with PERi-PERi—a fiery sauce made from the African Bird’s Eye chilli, a spice introduced to Africa centuries earlier by Portuguese explorers. The brand quickly struck a chord.

Throughout the 1990s, it grew internationally, reaching markets such as Australia, where it entered in the early 1990s. Nando’s Australia, now headquartered in Abbotsford, Victoria, has since grown to over 130 restaurants nationwide, offering a distinctive casual dining experience defined by bold flavors and vibrant restaurant atmospheres.

Today, Nando’s operates more than 1,200 restaurants across 30 countries, standing out as a global fast-casual phenomenon with a strong brand identity and a loyal following built around its signature PERi-PERi chicken.