Nando's PERi-PERi — Restaurant in Hyde Park Township

So it’s 7-31-2023 @ 7:36 pm, I don’t know what the deal is but they just can’t get it right. It has to be the staff, they just don’t care! I guess they think the food is so good that they can treat the customers anyway they want to. I will choke on a chicken bone before I ever go back and give them a penny of my money. I just left them and they are approximately 1.4 miles from my house, please tell me how my food ( Rainbow bowl, French fries for me and mashed potatoes - for my wife) was completely cold after waiting 10 mins to receive it from them? The worst part of this $23.49 fiasco was the sorry amount of food that they gave me, the food didn’t even come up to little line around the bowl, It was like a sampler size, I don’t know if the employees get to take the leftover food home at the end of the night, but they certainly act like it cause they are super stingy. Their answer is always to get in the car and drive all the way back there after settling in and getting ready to eat to bring the food back, ok! So I’m supposed to get back up, pack up the food, drive back, find parking and wait to get my order fixed with no additional compensation for the wasted time or gas, no free drink, no extra scoop of hummus, nothing? It cost me more to return the food than it did when I bought it out right, It’s just down right disrespectful! My money means something to me and I hate wasting it!

UPDATE** I was contacted by the customer service team and they promised that they would read in my order and make things right I spoke with the manager named Judah and he was extremely helpful and engaged in fixing things. He apologized and admitted that they needed to make their service better. I couldn’t have asked for anything more! I hope I get the same service next time I visit....

I enjoyed my food however part of the service not so much !!! If this is your first time here don't expect to much explanation other than what is offered In the menu which is pretty informative. I don't like that you have to place your order at the register before being seated, and are supposed to tip ( which is split amongst the staff) before ever recieving your food or any service other than with the cashier who was very pleasant and one of the servers Tinaya who was very accommodating and kind. Those two employees were the " saving grace" for this experience. Initially we were sat at a booth that would prove difficult for any plus size person to fit comfortably into, followed by a booth with equally difficult circumstances to then be put at a small table where our order would not have been able to fit until the kind Tinaya seated us promptly and did so ever so professionally. The restaurant was not crowded and there was plenty of seating which made me wonder if we were being utilized as the evening joke or entertainment for some of the employees ??? The food was good the chicken had good seasoning to go with the charbroiled preperation, I chose the 1/2 chicken as recommended and my 2 sides were the Peri Peri chips (fries) I couldn't detect any distinct flavoring, and the fire grilled corn ( sweet corn on the cob) my beverage of choice was the blood orange and mango lemonade which sounds better than the taste it provided...... I didn't get the lemonade vibe and just a hint of mango and it was served lukewarm not cold. For dessert I ordered the $7 piece of carrot cake.......it didn't look that special but I will update once I eat it.

Update : The carrot cake was good but not worth $7 a slice...

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with a recent experience at your Chicago location in April. My spouse and I were excited to try Nando's during my visit from the UK, but unfortunately, our experience was marred by the behaviour of one of your staff members, Elijah.

While we were trying to understand the menu, Elijah rushed us to place our order despite there being no other customers in line. As we waited for our takeaway, I noticed that he kept staring at me and laughing, which made me uncomfortable. When he walked past us, he whispered something, but I couldn’t catch what it was. He then avoided eye contact and walked around me instead of past me.

My husband approached Elijah to address our discomfort, but Elijah responded by claiming he felt threatened and even said he had called the police on us. This was confusing and distressing, as we were not exhibiting any aggression; my husband merely wanted to clarify the situation. Elijah's attitude was dismissive, and confrontational he continued to provoke us.

Before leaving, as we collected our food, he made a comment of “salamu alaykum” while laughing, and was very sarcastic which felt disrespectful and further added to our discomfort.

Despite this being a while ago, it has tainted my experience with Nando's. I have never encountered such childish behavior in customer service in the UK, and I find it quite appalling.

I believe this behavior is not reflective of the customer service standards Nando's aims to uphold. I hope you will address this matter to ensure a more welcoming environment for future customers.

Thank you for your attention...