World-Famous South African Chicken Restaurant Brings Its Signature Flame-Grilled Spice and Art-Filled Interiors to Virginia Beach Town Center
Nando’s PERi-PERi, the beloved South African restaurant brand recognized around the world for its spicy flame-grilled chicken, is hatching in Virginia Beach. The restaurant, in the Virginia Beach Town Center, is set to open in late fall 2022.
The location will mark Nando’s first restaurant in the Hampton Roads region and the brand’s latest new-market opening. Earlier this month, Nando’s announced it is opening two Houston-area restaurants next year, in advance of future expansion throughout Texas. The new Virginia Beach and Texas Nando’s are a testament to the global company’s commitment to growth in the US market, and are the first new-market openings in seven years.
Nando’s PERi-PERi, the beloved South African restaurant brand recognized around the world for its spicy flame-grilled chicken, is hatching in Virginia Beach. The restaurant, in the Virginia Beach Town Center, is set to open in late fall 2022.
The location will mark Nando’s first restaurant in the Hampton Roads region and the brand’s latest new-market opening. Earlier this month, Nando’s announced it is opening two Houston-area restaurants next year, in advance of future expansion throughout Texas. The new Virginia Beach and Texas Nando’s are a testament to the global company’s commitment to growth in the US market, and are the first new-market openings in seven years.
The company’s journey from the tip of Africa to the beaches of Virginia–an adventure which began 35 years ago with a single location in Johannesburg–now spans 24 nations from Australia to Zimbabwe. Landing stateside in 2008 with its inaugural US restaurant in Washington, DC, the brand has since expanded to nearly 50 sites in DC, Virginia, Maryland, and Chicago.
Nando’s flagship Virginia Beach location is headed for a prime site in the Virginia Beach Town Center near the Funny Bone Comedy Club and the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts. It will feature original, contemporary South African art and furniture. The 3,050-square-foot Nando’s will offer dine-in seating for nearly 100 customers, a spacious outdoor patio, and convenient take-out service. Convenient parking will also be available for customers.
The concept’s popularity can be traced to PERi-PERi – or African Bird’s Eye Chilli – the heart and soul of the Nando’s experience. “We marinate our chicken in PERi-PERi for at least 24 hours, so the flavor goes right through to the bone,” Fisher explained. “Then we grill it over an open flame and baste it with PERi-PERi sauce to the customer’s preferred spice level. That’s what makes our chicken so addictive.”
Nando’s sources all its PERi-PERi through 1,400 local farmers in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and South Africa who are empowered with upfront access to funds, equipment, and seedlings as well as a guaranteed commitment by the company to buy the farmers’ crops at a fair price determined before the growing season even starts.
WHAT: Nando’s Opening in Virginia Beach Town Center
WHERE: 221 Central Park Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
WHEN: Late Fall 2022
Source: Nando’s
