Chicken might have made Nando’s famous, but the fast-casual chain is upping its game with a new menu that moves away from wings and thighs.
Steak is Nando’s big Christmas gift to the world. In the coming weeks customers will be able to order a fillet steak and chargrilled vegetables in either a pitta bread or a wrap.
Other new menu items include beef steak marinated in house peri-peri sauce and flame-grilled, with chargrilled vegetables and garlic mayonnaise, fillet steak in a prego roll and a side of chargrilled vegetables with peri-peri sauce. Chicken drumsticks have also been added in either a side or main portion.
Nando’s has become one of the most popular fast-food restaurants in the world with a celebrity following including Kanye West, Robert Pattinson and Ed Sheeran. It has more than 1000 restaurants across 23 countries.
The South African franchinse has helped grow its success with a social media buzz about a reported Black Card, which gives the holder free chicken for a year. Exclusivity and customisation – by adding new menu options, for example – are two of the ways that fast casual restaurants grow their market share.
Fast casual restaurants like Nando’s have taken a big bite out of the profits of legacy fast food brands like McDonald’s, which are struggling to maintain sales as customers look for healthier and fresher food. The combined sales of American fast-casual outlets rose by 10.5 per cent last year, compared with 6.1 per cent for fast-food chains, according to Mintel, a market-research firm.
