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> Yet many British chains have had zero impact on culture ... There are two big exceptions to this rule: Wagamama and PizzaExpress. Can't believe they've forgo
by walthamstow 4y ago
> Yet many British chains have had zero impact on culture ... There are two big exceptions to this rule: Wagamama and PizzaExpress.
Can't believe they've forgotten about Nando's!
Easily the most culturally significant restaurant chain in the UK, from grime music to the ubiquitous "cheeky nando's" phraseology
- thorin 4y agoNandos was in South Africa at least 10 years before it got popular in the UK. I was pretty disappointed when I went there.
- detritus 4y agoGiven your nickname here, you might be conflating London and the South East with the UK generally. Signed, 'Haringey' :)
- dataengineer56 4y agoWagamama and Nando's are arguably the only two big casual dining chains that people actually enjoy eating at. All the others are pretty unpopular (and rightly so, the food is often terrible): Pizza Express, Frankie and Benny's, Pizza Hut, Chiquito... Nando's social media and culture presence is impressive for a restaurant chain of its size.
- andybak 4y agoYou can't put Pizza Express in the same category as Pizza Hut!? And as a data-point I enjoy Pizza Express - and I've had "proper" pizza to compare it to.
- Nextgrid 4y agoPizza Express is a known good. It's not the best, but it's guaranteed to be consistent everywhere. It does the job when you just want a "good enough" pizza with little fuss. In contrast, searching for the best pizza carries a risk of getting something subpar and much worse than even Pizza Express.
- dataengineer56 4y agoIt's not much different - Pizza Express isn't anywhere near as posh as it thinks it is, and I'd bet the average spend per customer is lower thanks to the constant Tesco Clubcard deals.
- namdnay 4y agoI always saw Nandos as a bit more “fast food” than Pizza Express or Wagamama? More like a (much) better KFC
- ianvisits 4y agoNando's isn't a British chain though.
- xnorswap 4y agoIt's a cornerstone of the British high-street. We've embraced it and adopted it as ours. If I went to a town and they didn't have a Nando's I'd treat the place with suspicion.
- walthamstow 4y agoAh, there's me confusing 'British restaurant chain' with 'restaurant chain in Britain'. I'm sure the UK is by far their largest market though, and it has had an impact on 21st century UK popular culture far away and above any other restaurant.
- boomboomsubban 4y agoLargest market yes, by far no. The UK has around 400 Nandos, South Africa around 350.