Why hasn't Nandos taken off here?

BhoscaCapall · 25-02-2013 4:43pm #1

I know there's a handful in Dublin and one in Cork, although I'd be surprised if they were the same as the UK ones and in downright shock if they were anywhere as affordable.

I've been going to the UK ones for many years and they've gotten really popular in the past few (hipster:cool:). One of the reasons has to be the recession, as you can feed two people easily for under £20. That could be one of the reasons it's not big here though, what with this country having absolutely criminal food prices. Irish people don't seem too keen on spicy food either, although Nandos do accommodate for that.

Towns like Galway I'm sure would be great spots for a Nandos with a lot of students who might want a quick and affordable meal.

GarIT · 25-02-2013 4:46pm

Any Nandos I've been to has worked out more expensive than most local proper restaurants. You could spend 5 times what you would spend in McDonalds in Nandos. I'm a student and there is no way I could afford to eat in Nandos. I never knew Nandos was supposed to be cheap, I thought it was halfway between a fast food place and proper restaurant, similar to Eddie Rockets idea but more expensive.

I really don't think you get students, most live on a few euro a week. I know some students who live off as little as €2 a day for food.

listermint · 25-02-2013 4:49pm

They are not popular because the food is rubbish.

There, I said it.

And i dont think its for hipsters either. Its a run of the mill food chain. OP probably drinks in wetherspoons too....

SunnyDub1 · 25-02-2013 4:50pm

I actually don't find nando's that cheap at all. If anything I think it's way over priced.
While it is relevantly healthy and tasty it's not cheap. And to be fair they don't offer much their menu other then chicken, chicken and more chicken!

The likes of eddie rockets, tgi's etc have a wider range of foods to choose from on their menu's and most people will go to them places so cause there is more to choose from. That's why I think they are more popular.

maximoose · 25-02-2013 4:51pm

€14 for an average burger and chips, meh.

Honey-ec · 25-02-2013 4:51pm

Cause it's ridiculously overpriced. €12.70 for a salad and you've to go up to the counter and order it yourself? They can keep it.

BhoscaCapall · 25-02-2013 4:54pm

GarIT wrote: »

Any Nandos I've been to has worked out more expensive than most local proper restaurants. You could spend 5 times what you would spend in McDonalds in Nandos. I'm a student and there is no way I could afford to eat in Nandos. I never knew Nandos was supposed to be cheap, I thought it was halfway between a fast food place and proper restaurant, similar to Eddie Rockets idea but more expensive.

I presume you're talking about the Irish prices as I just checked and they are around a fiver dearer per person than the UK.

It is halfway between a fastfood place and a proper restaurant and the prices reflect that.

listermint wrote: »

They are not popular because the food is rubbish.

There, I said it.

But they are massively popular, sorry.

And i dont think its for hipsters either. Its a run of the mill food chain. OP probably drinks in wetherspoons too....

Strange assumption to make but then again I didn't say they were for hipsters, I just made a joke about my claim to going there before they were popular. Sorry for confusing you.

listermint · 25-02-2013 4:56pm

BhoscaCapall wrote: »

I presume you're talking about the Irish prices as I just checked and they are around a fiver dearer per person than the UK.

It is halfway between a fastfood place and a proper restaurant and the prices reflect that.

But they are massively popular, sorry.

Strange assumption to make but then again I didn't say they were for hipsters, I just made a joke about my claim to going there before they were popular. Sorry for confusing you.

You asked why they are not popular in ireland... I stated they are not popular because the food is rubbish... If they were massively popular here then surely they'd be all over the place...

Nandos is nothing special, youll soon discover that.

longhalloween · 25-02-2013 4:56pm

They basically grill you a chicken fillet, then you get your own cutlery, drinks and napkins and drown the chicken in sauce.

Sure you could do that at home.

Honey-ec · 25-02-2013 4:58pm

longhalloween wrote: »

They basically grill you a chicken fillet, then you get your own cutlery, drinks and napkins and drown the chicken in sauce.

Sure you could do that at home.

Particularly as you can buy the jaysis sauce in the supermarket!

Really, really don't understand the appeal at all.

BhoscaCapall · 25-02-2013 4:58pm

listermint wrote: »

You asked why they are not popular in ireland... I stated they are not popular because the food is rubbish... If they were massively popular here then surely they'd be all over the place...

But they are massively popular in other countries, so the food can't be that rubbish you just think it is.

A more intelligent answer would be because for whatever reason food has to cost so much more in this country, and when you remove the affordability factor it's stripped down to higher tier fastfood at restaurant prices.

Honey-ec · 25-02-2013 5:02pm

BhoscaCapall wrote: »

But they are massively popular in other countries, so the food can't be that rubbish you just think it is.

I dunno, in my experience they're massive in the UK, not so popular elsewhere.

I've done a lot of travelling in the UK and I think it's fair to say that the food offerings over there can leave a lot to be desired, so maybe it's not surprising that Nandos is so popular there.

yourdeadwright · 25-02-2013 5:02pm

Id argue they have got very popular here recently in Dublin, there's one in Swords, Blanch ,Dundrum,Dublin aim sure there's a few more i don't no off,
I really like it, myself and the other half get the full chicken platter with 2 sides each which is decent price and tasty,

timetogo · 25-02-2013 5:02pm

For me my lunch budget normally has a max limit of €10.
Nandos go over that limit and the portions aren't that large.
Within 100m of my local Nandos in Swords there are at least 5 places (including 2 pubs) that do decent lunches for a tenner or less.

BhoscaCapall · 25-02-2013 5:07pm

Honey-ec wrote: »

I dunno, in my experience they're massive in the UK, not so popular elsewhere.

Well the UK is a pretty good country to use in a consumer comparison with Ireland, as little as some may want to admit it.

Honey-ec wrote: »

I've done a lot of travelling in the UK and I think it's fair to say that the food offerings over there can leave a lot to be desired, so maybe it's not surprising that Nandos is so popular there.

lol is this a joke? Unless all your travelling was done via Little Chef service stations and northern backwaters I don't know how you can say the food offerings have a lot to be desired, especially when comparing to Ireland.

SunnyDub1 · 25-02-2013 5:07pm

to be fair, while I have enjoyed the odd nando's here and there. I would sooner get the sauce and chicken and cook it home and spend the €12-20 on an early bird in a decent restaurant somewhere.

ElleEm · 25-02-2013 5:10pm

It's chicken and chips.

I have always found it just "meh". I can rustle up a tastier chicken and chips at home for less money and I don't have to get changed outta my jammies!

Sacksian · 25-02-2013 5:10pm

I really don't understand how these are huge in the UK - the food is pretty bad and it's not cheap either.

I think the purpose of their sauces is to hide the quality of the meat. I've been twice. The second time I got some chicken without any of the sauces and it was reallly, really tough.

I can normally understand how these new chains that come along get popular and why they appeal to people but I have to admit I'm baffled as to how this was popular in the UK - can't believe it's the same food.

BhoscaCapall · 25-02-2013 5:12pm

Sacksian wrote: »

I really don't understand how these are huge in the UK - the food is pretty bad and it's not cheap either.

Surprising given how massively popular it is during a bad recession...

I think the purpose of their sauces is to hide the quality of the meat. I've been twice. The second time I got some chicken without any of the sauces and it was reallly, really tough.

How would putting some hot sauce on it stop it being tough?

hardCopy · 25-02-2013 5:14pm

BhoscaCapall wrote: »

Well the UK is a pretty good country to use in a consumer comparison with Ireland, as little as some may want to admit it.

lol is this a joke? Unless all your travelling was done via Little Chef service stations and northern backwaters I don't know how you can say the food offerings have a lot to be desired, especially when comparing to Ireland.

In my experience the food outside London is muck. Coronation Chicken or Ham-Cheese "Salad" out of a tub is their idea of a sandwich filing!

BhoscaCapall · 25-02-2013 5:18pm

hardCopy wrote: »

In my experience the food outside London is muck. Coronation Chicken or Ham-Cheese "Salad" out of a tub is their idea of a sandwich filing!

You're probably right there, but it's not much worse than most of Ireland.

And you can get some fairly amazing curries in Birmingham among other places.

fenris · 25-02-2013 5:25pm

Don't really see where you are coming from with this thread, you asked a question and then told the people who responded that they were wrong and that it is really popular in other countries, it may be compared to what is available there but my average lunch break doesn't stretch to a flight abroad.

For what it's worth, Nandos food is in my opinion overpriced and of poorer quality that food the can be had in other premises close by.

You can argue that I am wrong but I will still go where I can get good food at a reasonable price without having to go walkabout.

Dante · 25-02-2013 5:26pm

Far too expensive, small portions, and fairly standard food. For students like myself its just too expensive to have regularly, especially with all the alternatives options around town. I went there for the first time in years last month and tbh I don't see myself going back for another few years.

GarIT · 25-02-2013 5:29pm

Three points to be made: I got dinner in Abrakebabra for €4 and there was probably more food there than you'd get in Nandos; and one could feed two people in Supermacs for €9, which is 35% less than what you would pay for one person on their own in Nandos; and pizza, chips and drinks for three people in my local Italian restaurant totalled to €30, feeding three people in Nandos €50.

listermint · 25-02-2013 5:31pm

OP in - ' I LOVE NANDOS' rant.. Sure they should open them everywhere they are massively popular..

Bateman · 25-02-2013 5:32pm

Overpriced hangover food, but aside from Domino's, probably the best hangover food there is. A once-a-month treat at most.

I take the point that it's dearer here than in the UK BUT I went recently enough in Leeds. A chicken burger meal and some wings was over £10, how on earth can this be considered cheap in any meaning of the word? There weren't exactly a wealth of other options around but even still...

the beer revolu · 25-02-2013 5:32pm

OP, you seem to be confusing popularity with quality. A very common mistake.
Mc D's, Heineken, white sliced pan, instant coffee, Bacardi Breezer and One Direction are all immensely popular....need I elaborate?

Jasper79 · 25-02-2013 5:33pm

I Like spicey food and been to Nandos in Swords and Blanchardstown.

The food is okay, I'd put it on par with Eddie Rockets, except eddie rockets I can get burger chips and drink for about 11 euro. I normally pay 18 ( butterfly chicken mm) in Nandos so for 2 costs a bit more alright.

Wicklowandy · 25-02-2013 5:34pm

Any food eaten out has to be something far better than I can make myself, and the twice I've been in nandos dundrum, it was unimpressive.

Popular with a certain demographic, but its just another eddie rockets. Superior to maccy ds or chipper food, but not really in the running at the price against the good value to be had in many pubs and restaurants now.

And I question how eddie rockets is so popular too:)

25-02-2013 5:35pm

would say that it's more popular in the UK because there's a higher proportion of the racial groups that like chicken a lot in the UK than in Ireland...

pwurple · 25-02-2013 5:36pm

I think it does ok because it's perceived as being child-friendly. It's all families with small children I see in there. They have booths.

I have been there once, and couldn't see any appeal. you've to go up and order and pre-pay. then walk somewhere else for cutlery and drinks, sauces and napkins. And then get more drinks yourself. The only thing the staff seem to do is ferry your plate from the kitchen to you. And they charge restaurant prices for it.

I didn't like the chicken. I didn't like the chips. It's very low in veg. It's expensive. I wouldn't feed it to a child, or myself. Not for me.

Why hasn't Nandos taken off here?

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