Nando's PERi-PERi Hatches in Hyde Park on Saturday January 14

Nando’s PERi-PERi, the South African-Portuguese restaurant known worldwide for its spicy flame-grilled chicken, celebrates its grand opening on Saturday, January 14, in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. The restaurant, at 1447 E. 53rd Street, is the 11th Nando’s to open in and around Chicago.

Nando’s will pay it forward by donating 100 percent of opening-day sales to the Kenwood Academy High School in Hyde Park. The donation will help fund college visits for students at Kenwood Academy, consistently ranked as one of the best public schools in the city.

“Nearly nine out of every 10 Kenwood Academy graduates continue on to a four-year institution, and we are proud to help support this outstanding tradition,” said Burton Heiss, CEO of Nando’s PERi-PERi. “It’s all about being good neighbors, and Nando’s looks forward to becoming an integral part of the South Side.”

Nationwide, Nando's has donated more than $200,000 to schools and local non-profit organizations, all through opening-day sales.

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. Nando’s new Hyde Park restaurant features one-of-a-kind South African artwork, too, including a corrugated-metal mural that was hand-painted in Hyde Park by South African street artist Kilmany-Jo Liversage.

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.

WHAT: NANDO’S GRAND OPENING IN HYDE PARK
WHERE: 1447 E. 53RD STREET, CHICAGO.
WHEN: GRAND OPENING IS SAT., JAN. 14, AT 11AM CT
THE KENWOOD ACADEMY FUNDRAISER RUNS FROM 11AM TO 10PM

About Nando's PERi-PERi
The first Nando’s restaurant opened its doors in 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since then, the Nando’s flame has spread to 1,200 restaurants in 23 countries on five continents. 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. It’s equally renowned for its spicy PERi-PERi, the Bird’s Eye chili pepper that indigenous Africans introduced to the Portuguese centuries ago.

Nando’s PERi-PERi made its U.S. debut in 2008 with the opening of its first location in Washington, DC. Nando’s PERi-PERi now operates three dozen restaurants in and around Chicago, Washington and Baltimore. For more information, please visit www.nandosperiperi.com, follow @NandosUSA on Twitter or Like Us at Nando’s PERi-PERi USA on Facebook.