Nando's PERi-PERi Raises $11,000 for Local High School in Chicago's Hyde Park

    CHICAGO, IL, January 24, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Nando's PERi-PERi, the South African-Portuguese restaurant known worldwide for its spicy flame-grilled chicken, is donating $11,020 to the Kenwood Academy High School in Hyde Park. The donation will help fund college visits for students at Kenwood Academy, consistently ranked as one of the best public schools in Chicago.

Nando's raised the funds by donating 100 percent of opening-day sales this past Saturday at its newest location, at 1447 E. 53rd Street in Hyde Park.

"Nearly nine out of every 10 Kenwood Academy graduates continue on to a four-year institution, and we are proud to help support this outstanding tradition," said Burton Heiss, CEO of Nando's PERi-PERi. "It's all about being good neighbors, and Nando's looks forward to becoming an integral part of the South Side."

"We are so grateful to have been chosen to receive the proceeds of Nando's Day 1! Our students were happy to be a part of this amazing day. Not only did they give their time on behalf of Kenwood Academy and Nando's, but they also learned a valuable lesson in what it means to give back to the community," said Tom Frayne, Assistant Principal of Kenwood Academy.

When Nando's moves to a new location, it typically partners with a neighborhood organization and donates all sales during the restaurant's opening day. In total, Nando's has raised more than $225,000 for local non-profits and schools in the communities it serves.

In the Chicago area, Nando's has partnered with deserving non-profits and schools including After School Matters, the Chicago Fire Foundation; Naperville Central & Naperville North high schools; Niles North High School; Oak Park River and Forest High School; Hinsdale Central High School and the Eli M. Schulman Playground at Seneca Park in Streeterville.

Nando's first moved to Chicago in spring 2015, and today operates 11 restaurants in and around Chicago.

ABOUT NANDO'S PERi-PERi
The first Nando's restaurant opened its doors in 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since then, the Nando's flame has spread to 1,200 restaurants in 23 countries on five continents. Nando's is known worldwide for its succulent PERi-PERi chicken, marinated for 24 hours, flame-grilled to perfection, and basted to the customer's preferred flavor and spice. It's equally renowned for its spicy PERi-PERi, the Bird's Eye chili pepper that indigenous Africans introduced to the Portuguese centuries ago.

Nando's PERi-PERi made its U.S. debut in 2008 with the opening of its first location in Washington, DC. Nando's PERi-PERi now operates three dozen restaurants in and around Chicago, Washington and Baltimore. For more information, please visit www.nandosperiperi.com, follow @NandosUSA on Twitter or Like Us at Nando's PERi-PERi USA on Facebook.

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