Chicago Gets An Exclusive Taste Of Nando’s Peri Peri On Wabash

Sometimes, all you need for a great evening is to be surrounded by great company, a lot of food, and the opportunity to get up close and personal with a great business. All of the aforementioned elements were present this week at Nando’s Peri-Peri in Chicago, when 50 Elites rolled in for a Yelp Elite Event at the brand’s Wabash location.

Yelp Elites arrived a little before 5pm, where they were led to a semi-private area in the back of the restaurant just for the event. There, each Elite was greeted with an open bar of beer and wine, with the option to utilize their soft drink machine as well for non-alcoholic options. At all tables, Nando’s had graciously placed hummus, pita bread, olives, and nuts to snack on while Elites mingled and waited for a special demonstration from the restaurant that would begin around 5:30.

After everyone had settled in, guests were invited to gather around a long table in the middle of the room, where Sam, the Nando’s Marketing Manager and co-event planner extraordinaire, presented an exclusive demo about how Nando’s makes their peri-peri and how it is integrated into their sauces and on their chicken. Sam also provided some history about Nando’s (they originated in South Africa, and no one location looks exactly the same inside!) before the fabulous kitchen staff and the Wabash manager, Josh, brought out a buffet for Elites to truly experience Nando’s.

Nando’s promised food, and they truly delivered: Elites were offered a never-ending array of options to choose from, including red skin mashed potatoes, flame-grilled corn on the cob, Portuguese rice, garlic bread, salad, and of course, chicken! People filled their plates high and Nando’s kept coming out with more. As people finished up their meals, Josh and Sam came around to each table, chatting them up before bringing the star of the evening: Nando’s Naughty Natas.

What are Naughty Natas? They’re a traditional Portuguese tart, served warm with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, and are they GOOEY. Elites absolutely loved these so much, they kept poking around for more — and they’ll be able to experience them again in the future, because Nando’s made sure everyone went home with a buy-one-get-one meal coupon to come back! Seriously, as if they weren’t generous enough, they made sure to send everyone home with a goodie bag, complete with a sauce bottle and that BOGO coupon. Everyone went home full, educated on the brand, and with a little treat in hand!