Nando's. Certainty is the product.
Mid-market dining is the graveyard zone of hospitality, and Nando's is opening 14 new UK restaurants there. It never played the same game as everyone else.
THE GIST ON NANDO'S: "The Mid Market Survivor"
Why is Nando's expansion surprising?
Nando's is opening 14 new restaurants in the UK despite years of pressure on casual dining. Burger and Italian chains have disappeared, and mid-range dining has been receding for a decade.
It's the hardest place to survive because you're caught in the middle: too expensive to feel casual, too basic to feel like a treat.
What does Nando's do differently?
It never tried to justify higher prices with bigger menus, hands-on service and more theatre. It slimmed down to its most efficient form: one core ingredient, one cooking method, one flavour profile. Chicken, flame grilled, flavoured with sauces.
Chicken is steadier than beef, scales across cultures, has far fewer ethical flashpoints, and sidesteps the cost sharks that destroy burger chains.
What are you actually paying for?
Competitors charge more and ask you to tolerate inconsistent service, long waits and awkward social friction. Nando's stripped all that away: no table service, narrower choice, a self-directed experience.
You're not paying for the glamour, you're paying for the certainty. That's why it's the default group decision, the place we all agree on and the option no one ever regrets.
Nando's: what's your order?
Your take. One tap, then see how everyone else voted.
Quick answers
How many new restaurants is Nando's opening?
14 in the UK, according to Huw.
Why does Nando's survive the mid-market?
It slimmed down to one core ingredient, cooking method and flavour profile, removed table service and narrowed choice, keeping expectations realistic.
Why is it the default group choice?
Customers pay for certainty: it is the option no one ever regrets.
See you on the next one.
What should the next one be? Suggest a topic for Huw to explain
The conversation
Comments
Nothing here yet. Start the conversation: Huw reads every comment before it is published.
