A popular English restaurant chain has had to close 10% of its outlets in the UK and Ireland due to a shortage of chicken, and it’s lending staff to its suppliers to get them back on track.
Nando’s, a multinational fast food chain based in South Africa, had to shutter 45 of its 450 British Isles outlets due to an inability to source chicken, particularly for its signature peri-peri wings. The restaurants closed around Aug. 16 and are scheduled to reopen Aug. 21.
The situation is so dire that Nando’s is lending employees to its suppliers in an attempt to straighten out the supply chain. “A team of our brilliant Nandocas [Nando’s staff] have been supporting our key suppliers onsite – working in partnership to help get things moving again, and this has already had a positive impact on affected restaurants,” a spokesperson told VICE World News.
Like much of the world, the UK has been dealing with shortages of supplies and, especially, labor. The labor situation is exacerbated by the implementation by Britain’s National Health Service of a phone app that “pings” users when they come into contact with an infected person, advising them to self-isolate. This has led to a shortage of workers that the British press has dubbed a “pingdemic.”