Nando's transforms on-premise ops and dine-in experience
Nando’s is a beloved South African restaurant brand known for its spicy, flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken and sauces. Since making its 1987 debut in Johannesburg, the brand has expanded its reach to 24 countries on five continents. In addition to leveraging Olo for off-premise dining—specifically, Ordering, Rails, and Dispatch—in the U.S. and Canada, Nando’s has transformed its on-premise operations and the dine-in guest experience with QR code ordering.
LINKS
56%
Of dine-in sales are QR code orders (up to 80% at some locations)
30%
Growth in marketable guest database
5%
Increase in tip vs. orders taken at the cash register
Background
Restaurant technology is not exactly new to Nando’s. The brand launched Olo Ordering in Canada in 2019, then rolled out Ordering and Rails at its U.S. locations in 2020. But with the return of dine-in, Nando’s saw a new opportunity: to optimize on-premise. What if, instead of waiting in line to order at the register, guests could simply sit down at a table, scan a QR code, and order through their mobile device?
At first, Nando’s attempted to leverage its unused drive-thru channel to process QR code orders. Rather than enter their car make and model, a guest would enter their table number. During the pilot, the brand quickly discovered the challenges of not having a dedicated dine-in channel. Orders were mislabeled and guests weren’t being prompted for their table numbers, which created a bottleneck in the system.
And so, Nando’s enlisted Olo’s help to develop a dedicated QR code ordering solution that would bring its vision to life and support the brand’s growth. Our collaboration has yielded an all-new way to dine in that provides guests with convenient and hospitable service, while also boosting revenue, restaurant efficiency, and staff satisfaction.
Results with Olo
01
MOST DINE-IN ORDERS NOW DIGITAL
02
INCREASED EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION
03
MARKETABLE DATABASE GROWTH
QR code ordering has provided many advantages. First and foremost, we wanted guests to feel comfortable dining in. Others may look at it as a way to save on labor, but we’ve simply taken a team member off the register and turned them into a greeter to provide more hospitality. Guests feel well taken care of, like they’re in a full-service restaurant, leave higher tips, and return more often. Staff, in turn, feel appreciated and less stressed.
Kathleen Chugh, Chief Information Technology Officer
Nando's