Apparently Britain’s elite, celebrities and Olympic Gold medalists choose Nando’s. The first woman to win a gold medal for boxing, Nicola Adams celebrated at the popular food restaurant. And footballers earning £25 000 (R330 000) a week, choose Nando’s as their after training meal of choice, not to mention Rihanna, Britney Spears and Lewis Hamilton.

In no small way, Britain has developed a passionate love affair with the chicken chain.

Ryan Wilson who currently holds the record for having eaten at the highest number of Nando’s chicken restaurants in Britain had this to say:

But I tend to quote The Simpsons. There’s a good scene where Homer is preaching to Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Christians, and he talks about how we’re all going to come together, and he says, “Look, we’re not going to eat the cow, and we’re not going to eat pork, but hey, everybody likes chicken!” And they all agree, and it’s very true.

But how has Nando’s come to be Britain’s favourite restaurant? For some it’s all in the sauce. James Colom said:

The main thing for me is the sauce. The sauce is what makes the chicken. If you’re going to have it plain, there’s not much point to it.

Colom is a physics graduate and also the founder of “Rate your Nando’s,” where other Nando’s fanatics can give reviews on their Nando’s of choice and introduce you to what Colom calls “The Nando’s Experience.”

There was even a Nando’s Defence League group on Facebook that pleaded with rioters and looters to leave Nando’s alone during the summer riots of 2011.

The birth place of the Portugese restaurant is the South African town of Rossetenville, a mining town with a large number of migrant workers for Mozambique. Originally known as “Chickenland,” Robert Brozin and Fernando Duarte bought the restaurant for R80 000, changed the name and within two years had three outlets in Johannesburg.

The British operation is owned by Yellowwoods, a private equity company owned by a South African family, the Enthovens,  who made their fortune in insurance.

[Source: The Telegraph]