1,000 customers
flock to Nando’s at Bugis Junction a
day.
Singapore, May 23, 2010- Newly opened
Portuguese flame-grilled chicken chain Nando’s in Bugis Junction
has been attracting hoards of people since it opened for business
two weeks ago.
The 120-seater casual restaurant has been packing in 900 to
1,000 customers every day.
Mr Robert Brozin, founder and chief executive officer of
Nando’s, says the response is phenomenal and he had not expected
such numbers.
But one would think the 50-year-old South African is used to
such queues.
After all, there are now more than 900 Nando’s outlets in 32
countries – the biggest markets being the United Kingdom, South
Africa, Australia and Malaysia.
Nando’s here is a joint venture between Nando’s Chickenland
Malaysia, which owns and operates 33 outlets there, and master
franchiser Nando’s Resources.
A second Singapore outlet is already in the works. It will be
taking over the space formerly occupied by McDonald’s in Tanglin
Mall, while a third outlet is slated to open later this year.
Nando’s first opened here in 1997 at Marina Square under the
operation of a different franchisee, but closed shortly after,
possibly due to the financial crisis, Mr Brozin says.
The idea of starting a global flame- grilled chicken chain began
23 years ago over the course of several meals at a humble
Portuguese chicken shop in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Co-founders Brozin and business partner Fernando Duarte, who
were working together in an electronics company at the time, just
could not get enough of the shop’s juicy and succulent chicken.
And it was that chicken which inspired them to start a business
of their own.
Mr Brozin says: “We wanted to create a business where we could
have fun and make money. When we started out, we took a view that
work should be pleasure.
“We had not thought too much about it, but we knew we wanted to
be global even though we did not know what it looked like
then.”
The duo learnt many lessons along the way, he says.
They expanded into overseas markets too quickly without a strong
base in one country, ran into cash-flow problems and were
unsuccessful in their first attempts to set up shop in the UK,
Portugal and Australia.
But he likens Nando’s tenacity to a boxer in the ring.
They stuck it out. It took 15 years to build and establish their
brand.
These days, the chain is well known for its flame-grilled
peri-peri chicken which has four levels of spiciness.
The price of a quarter chicken starts from $9.90.
Nando’s plans to focus on growing its existing markets, which
also includes parts of Africa such as Zambia and Botswana as well
as the Middle East.
Mr Brozin says: “I knew that it (flame-grilled Portuguese-style
chicken) was the right product for the times.”
