- Case Study -
Nando's streamlines loyalty programs and delivers quick ROI
Nando's, an international casual dining restaurant chain specialising in Portuguese-style chicken dishes with peri-peri marinades, started in South Africa in 1987. It has since expanded to around 1,000 outlets in 30 countries, including over 270 in Australia, many of which are franchises.
Nando's, an international casual dining restaurant chain specialising in Portuguese-style chicken dishes with peri-peri marinades, started in South Africa in 1987. It has since expanded to around 1,000 outlets in 30 countries, including over 270 in Australia, many of which are franchises.
To enhance customer connection and engagement, Nando's aimed to establish a robust integrated loyalty system to generate and retain a loyal customer base. However, with four different POS systems used across their restaurants, integration was proving to be costly and complex. Consequently, they decided to standardise all restaurants to a single POS system, initiating one of the largest POS rollouts in the Australian Quick Service Restaurant industry.
After evaluating the market, Nando's selected Redcat due to its comprehensive POS, Data Management, and integrated Loyalty solutions, along with its strong local presence, flexibility, and project management capabilities. The conversion cost to a single POS and the implementation of the Loyalty solution was significantly lower than anticipated.
A successful trial was conducted across 30 restaurants in Western Australia, resulting in immediate increases in revenue and profitability, which confirmed the decision to roll out the system to all stores.
Nando's loyalty program emphasises customer focus and continuous innovation, particularly through leveraging technology. The Redcat system has streamlined this program and provided a quick return on investment.
The project involved complex requirements, including varying installations, new cabling for older restaurants, reusing existing equipment to save costs, GoLive support, and a communication roadshow and training program for franchisees and staff. All installations had to be completed before 11am to avoid disrupting the busy lunch period.
A dedicated Redcat project team, including a Project Manager and operations and support specialists, managed the conversion of over 230 restaurants across Australia, completing the process in under four months.
This new system enabled an integrated loyalty system, enhancing customer engagement. James McLaren highlighted the value delivered by the Redcat system: “Nando’s loyalty program highlights our customer focus and commitment to continual innovation particularly leveraging technology. The Redcat system streamlines the way we handle this program and has delivered a quick return on investment."