Few South Africans know that Dick Enthoven, billionaire owner of Spier and Hollard Insurance Company Ltd, is also the owner of Nando’s. Now a Malaysian publication has crowed the details about the successful spicy-chicken chain.
How Enthoven got to know Robbie Brozin and Nando Duarte, the founders of Nando’s, is not shared, but Enthoven gave them a loan to expand their Nando’s chain in South Africa initially, and then internationally.
Nando’s is described as a ‘private family business’ and the main backers are the Enthovens, providing capital and business acumen to help Nando’s grow locally and internationally. There are family-owned as well as franchise stores. Son Robby Enthoven heads the UK operation of Nando’s, while his other son Adrian Enthoven is Chairman of Hollard. Daughter Mariota is married to ‘Farmer Angus‘ McIntosh, who runs the Spier Biodynamic Farm, being into chickens (and eggs) in a different way, and supplying organic meat to leading Cape Town and Winelands restaurants! In the UK the focus was changed to offering a sit-down as well as take-away service, while the latter is the local model. In thirteen years 300 Nando’s outlets were opened in the UK. Spier wines feature on the Nando’s winelists in the UK.
The key offering is an Afro-Portuguese peri-peri chili marinated chicken, a half-chicken sold at R57,90 (£7 in London). Nando’s has been known for its clever marketing campaigns over many years, being quick to react to news and turning it into catchy ads with excellent wordplay, being mainly copy-driven ads. It is active on Social Media, and in the UK it is the most popular restaurant on Twitter, with the most followers. One Direction’s Harry Styles has expressed his passion for Nando’s, which has benefited the chain’s exposure.
Given Enthoven’s love for art, the Nando’s stores in the UK now collectively showcase 5000 South African art works. Recently we wrote how Nando’s is showcasing the furniture of South African designers in its international stores, to pay tribute to our country’s design talent.
In many ways Nando’s is more than a spicy-chicken chain – it is an embodiment of South Africa, and an ambassador
for our country’s design and art diversity and quality, in the countries in which it operates outside of South Africa.
POSTSCRIPT 21/3: We have just seen the latest issue of Hotel & Restaurant, in which it is reported that Nando’s Blackheath in Johannesburg is the first local outlet to be transformed by the Design Partnership into a sit-down restaurant ‘as an experiment’. Local designer chairs will be introduced.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Tel (021) 433-2100, Twitter:@WhaleCottage Facebook: click here
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Nando’s sit down in UK is much like the one in Gordons Bay — i.e. there are tables and chairs but you have to order at the counter.
First Nando’s I ever ate in was in Sandton’s Nelson Mandela Square amd it was waiter service, they also had a kitchen offereing cookery classes. That wad 15+ years ago
Nando’s UK only have 4 RSA wines on their list, a red and white each from Spier and Stormhoek, they have 6 Portuguese wines..
That is interesting feedback Peter. I haven’t been inside a Nando’s in years.
The media information I read recently, as per my Postscript, indicated that the first (SA) sit-down Nando’s Blackheath is being designed.
The two Nandos branches in Claremont (one in the hoity toity Cavendish
Square and the other on the Main Road) and the one in Kenilworth Center
all closed down last year. But that comes as no surprise what with its
soaring prices and miniscule portions. Me thinks Nandos in SA is
struggling!
Interesting feedback David – thank you.