Nando’s closes some restaurants after peri-peri chicken shortage

Restaurant chain to send staff members to help key suppliers

Nando’s has been hit by supply chain issues, forcing it to close some of its restaurants in England, Wales and Scotland (Getty Images)

A number of Nando’s restaurants have been affected by the “pingdemic” as staff shortages led to disruption in the supply chain, which means some of its most popular peri peri chicken dishes are in short supply.

The company explained to customers who took to social media to complain about restaurant closures in their local area that the UK supply chain is currently experiencing “a bit of a ‘mare”, which has resulted in a “knock-on effect” on some of their restaurants across England, Scotland and Wales.

It said that the disruption was caused by staff “isolation periods” and that suppliers have been “struggling to keep up with the demand”.

Nando’s said it is sending some of its own staff to “support key suppliers” in hopes of easing the burden on the supply chain.

A spokesperson told The Independent: “Due to staff shortages, the UK food industry has been experiencing disruption across the supply chain and a number of our restaurants across England, Scotland and Wales have been impacted.

“From today, Nando’s will be lending some of our brilliant team members to support key suppliers and get things moving again. We hope this will have a positive impact on affected restaurants, so please bear with us as we do everything we can to get that PERI-PERI chicken back where it belongs – on your plates.”

It comes after a shortage of HGV drivers across the UK led to shortages in some products being delivered to supermarkets and other shops last month, as businesses struggled with high numbers of staff being told to self-isolate by the NHS Test and Trace app.

A record 600,000 people were “pinged” by the app to self-isolate on 14 July. Food supply industry bodies said the issue meant entire production lines in factories and entire driver fleets had been “taken out” and criticised the government’s response as “chaotic”.

According to the BBC, around 50 Nando’s restaurants have been closed temporarily while the disruption is ongoing. The restaurant chain said it hoped to reopen all of its outlets by this weekend.

Restaurants in Northern Ireland and Ireland have not been affected by the disruption.

Customers are urged to check on Nando’s website if their local restaurant is open before visiting.

Last week, KFC warned customers that some items on the menu were not available due to ongoing disruption, adding that the situation was “not ideal”.

The fast food chain said in a statement it is “working hard to keep things running smoothly” in its restaurants.

“In the meantime, please be patient with our incredible teams… they’re doing a brilliant job despite the disruption.

“We can’t wait to see you soon for your next friend chicken fix,” it added.