Nando's PERi-PERi Hatches in Naperville

    NAPERVILLE, IL, March 16, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Nando's PERi-PERi, the South African-Portuguese restaurant known worldwide for its spicy flame-grilled chicken, is hatching on Saturday March 19 in Naperville. The two-story restaurant at 6 W. Jefferson Avenue is one of Nando's largest in the U.S. and its first in suburban Chicago. During opening weekend, Nando's will donate 100% of all sales to support the arts at Naperville North High School and Naperville Central High School. Hours of operation are: Sunday - Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

"As our neighbors, Naperville North and Naperville Central high schools are helping local students discover their potential and prepare for college," said Burton Heiss, CEO of Nando's PERi-PERi USA. "We are delighted to support both high schools and their arts programs, and can't wait to share our fiery PERi-PERi chicken with even more Chicago-area fans."

Nando's, which operates restaurants in 23 nations from Australia to Zimbabwe, first moved to the United States in 2008. It set up shop in Washington, DC, and, since then, has opened more than two dozen restaurants in the nation's capital, Maryland and Virginia. Nando's first moved to Illinois last year and now has five locations in and near Chicago.

The Naperville restaurant seats 179 guests, including a large outdoor patio. Unique features include a salvaged tree trunk that perforates the second-level floor and connects with a communal table, and an oversized triptych by Cape Town street artist Kilmany-Jo Liversage in the main dining space.

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 has built an intensely loyal following by providing fresh food in a relaxed atmosphere with friendly service. PERi-PERi, or African Bird's Eye Chili, is the heart and soul of the Nando's experience. "We marinate our chicken in PERi-PERi for at least 24 hours, so the flavor goes right through to the bone," Heiss explained. "Then we grill it over an open flame it and baste it with PERi-PERi sauce to our customers' preferred spice. That's what makes our chicken so addictive."

Nando's other Chicago locations are in the Loop, West Loop, the Clybourn Corridor section of Lincoln Park and Lakeview.

WHAT: Nando's Opens in Naperville
WHERE: 6 W. Jefferson Avenue, Naperville
WHEN: Opening Weekend, with 100% of Sales Donated to Naperville North and Naperville
Central high schools
**Saturday March 19, 11am-3pm; 5pm-9pm
**Sunday March 20, 11am-9pm

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 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 the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, DC. Nando's PERi-PERi now operates 29 restaurants in and around Chicago, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC. For more information, please visit www.nandosperiperi.com, follow @NandosUSA on Twitter or Like Us at Nando's PERi-PERi USA and Nando's PERi-PERi (Naperville) on Facebook.

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