Learning to grill the Nando’s way

Flow PR is lucky enough to have one of the coolest clients around: Nando’s.

Most people know that Nando’s is not a dull company and they are always coming up with new and exciting concepts, jokes and adventures.

On 10 and 11 March, four of the Flow staff – Caroline Smith, Kevin Collins, Tshililo Ragimana and Shaun Demmer – were challenged to leave their laptops and desks, and join the Nando’s Sandton City staff behind the counter.

They got involved in grilling chicken, frying chips and the hard task of getting customers’ orders correct and out in good time.

“The reason we’re doing it is because we work hard to understand clients holistically. Nando’s business objectives are to have fun and sell chicken, so that’s what we went to do,” says Caroline.

“There’s a real air of family and camaraderie at Nando’s, and they were really welcoming to us. The first day was a shock for us because, really, it’s hard work, and we have new respect for the people who serve us our food.”

While our colleagues were hard at work providing the Nando’s customers with their orders, we decided to ask a few of the customers how they felt about having Flow PR staff making their food and delivering great service.

We approached two women, who looked extremely happy with their meals. One volunteered: “It’s exactly the same, there is no difference. I wanted extra sauce and I got it!”

The men at the next table were a little more skeptical about the food than the women – they were concerned that it wouldn’t be up to the standard of food made by trained Nando’s grillers.

“I am worried the chicken might be raw or that the rice won’t be cooked. Cooking at Nando’s is a specialised skill and they have different recipes that you need to know,” said one of the men, who apparently knows more about the Nando’s menu than most other customers. Flow PR’s flame-grilled chicken did, however, pass muster.