FAIRFAX, VA — Nando's PERi-PERi is opening a new restaurant at Fairfax Corner on Monday, Nov. 9, bringing its South African-inspired flame-grilled chicken to the shopping center near Fairfax City and Chantilly.
Ahead of the opening, the restaurant chain will give away free quarter-chicken meals with fries to the first 500 people who attend a special event Saturday, Nov. 7, outside the new location at 11941 Grand Commons Ave.
The giveaway begins at noon and continues while supplies last. The event will also feature games, additional giveaways and a DJ playing South African-inspired music, according to the company.
The new 3,450-square-foot restaurant will have seating for 84 customers indoors and another 28 on an outdoor patio. The interior will feature contemporary South African artwork, reflecting the restaurant chain's roots.
"Washington, DC, has been a part of the Nando's US story from the beginning, and opening at Fairfax Corner is an exciting next step in expanding our presence across the region," Kimberly Grant, CEO of Nando's PERi-PERi, said in a news release.
"Now Nando's fans can enjoy their flame-grilled favorites in a vibrant new space where South African art and thoughtful design touches give Nando's Fairfax Corner a character all its own," Grant said.
Nando's specializes in chicken marinated for at least 24 hours before being flame-grilled and basted with PERi-PERi sauce. The sauce is made using African bird's eye chili peppers, with customers able to choose their preferred spice level.
"We marinate our chicken for at least 24 hours. Then we flame grill it and baste it with PERi-PERi sauce to the customer's preferred spice level," Grant said.
Nando's traces its origins to Johannesburg, South Africa, where its first restaurant opened in 1987. The company has since expanded to 24 countries across five continents.
The chain entered the United States in 2008 with its first restaurant in Washington, D.C., and now operates nearly 50 locations across Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Texas and Georgia.
The Fairfax Corner opening marks another addition to the company's presence in the Washington metropolitan area.
The restaurant is located in Fairfax Corner, a shopping and dining destination near the intersection of Monument Drive and Government Center Parkway, convenient to customers from Fairfax City, Chantilly and surrounding communities.
Additional information about the restaurant and its menu is available at Nando's PERi-PERi.
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