Chicago Fire Soccer Stars Take Over New Nando’s on Wabash, Manning Grills for Charity

Nando’s PERi-PERi, the South African-Portuguese restaurant known worldwide for its spicy flame-grilled chicken, hatches its fourth Chicago restaurant Saturday Nov. 21 at 22 S. Wabash Avenue. For the first two days of operation, Chicago Fire players will take over the grills and deliver succulent PERi-PERi chicken to fans gathered at Nando’s new Loop location. Nando’s will donate 100 percent of sales on Sat. Nov. 21 and Sun. Nov. 22 to the Chicago Fire Foundation, which works to enhance the lives of disadvantaged youth in and around Chicago. 

“Nando’s is thrilled to partner with the Fire to warm up Chicago,” said Sepanta Bagherpour, Marketing Director for Nando’s PERi-PERi USA. “We think our spicy PERi-PERi flavors will put a little more fire in the belly of Chicago’s soccer sensations as they rebuild in the offseason and once again seek MLS glory.”  

“We’re very excited for the Fire takeover at Nando’s,” said Chicago Fire Foundation Executive Director Jessica Yavitz. “It’s wonderful to see a company like Nando’s invested in this city to join with the Chicago Fire Foundation to give back to the community.”

Playing With Fire

Fire players scheduled to appear at Nando’s include defender Eric Gehrig, midfielders Chris Ritter, Michael Stephens and Matthew Watson, and Fire great and club ambassador Gonzalo Segares. They will increase the heat at Nando’s on Wabash from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm CT and 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm CT on Nov. 21 and Nov. 22.

Four Chicago Restaurants….and Counting

Nando’s moved to Chicago in spring 2015, and has quickly opened restaurants in the Loop, West Loop, Lincoln Park and Lakeview, with many more to come in and around the Windy City. The newest Nando’s is located between Madison and Monroe at 22 S. Wabash Avenue.

Nando’s has built an intensely loyal following, from London to the Loop, by providing fresh food in a relaxed atmosphere with friendly service. Nando’s is known worldwide for its succulent PERi-PERi chicken, marinated for 24 hours, flame-grilled to perfection, and basted to the customer’s preferred flavor and spice. 

Every Nando’s is painstakingly designed and completely unique, with earthy textures and bright colors that reflect its sunny African-Portuguese heritage.  With thousands of pieces of original works of art that are a constant reminder of where the restaurant came from, Nando’s has become the largest collector of South African contemporary art in the world. 

22 S. Wabash Avenue

In the Loop, Nando’s has transformed the interior of a classic Louis Sullivan building into a playful and inviting destination, with original South African paintings and textiles, sofa-style banquettes, and colorful Senegalese woven pendant lamps that illuminate the tables below. National Design Award winner Stephen Burks spent eight days in a remote village in Senegal working with a community of grass-basket weavers to develop the basket lamps, and together they have produced hanging works of handmade art that are whimsical and unique. 

In the United States alone, there are more than 600 pieces of original African art in Nando’s restaurants. “We believe that authentic contemporary African art can create truly surprising experiences and keep us connected to our roots,” Heiss said.