Nando’s Mexican Café eyes a late ’22 opening

Nando’s Mexican Café, a southeast Valley restaurant institution since 2003, has confirmed its plans to open a Maricopa location as early as this year.

Tim Shaughnessy a co-owner of Nando’s, said he and his partners are looking forward to getting into town.

“We are beyond excited to dive in and be part of such a special community,” Shaughnessy said. “We love the small-town feel and tight-knit community, which has similar growth and size to our most recent store in Queen Creek. Also, because of the proximity to our other locations, some Maricopa residents may have already frequented some of our existing restaurants and are familiar with the concept.”

Nando’s is looking to build in the Edison Pointe Center at the northeast corner of Edison Road and John Wayne Parkway. Shaughnessy said they are looking at a restaurant of about 5,000 square feet, plus a large outdoor patio area of about 700 square feet.

The current timeline has Nando’s breaking ground in May or June and opening by the end of this year. They are currently in the process of finishing up the schematic floor plan and bidding out construction of the project.

Shaughnessy said Nando’s restaurants typically have 50-75 employees per store, with 30 of those being full-time positions.

He said the Nando’s concept is just what the city needs.

“We feel Nando’s is an ideal fit for Maricopa,” Shaughnessy said. “The community profile is similar to our most recent restaurant in Queen Creek, where our concept (Sonoran Style Mexican Food) has been well-received. Plus, we’ve received such a warm welcome from city planners and staff already that we can’t wait to dive in, be a part of and contribute to such a special community.

“We would like the residents to know we’re locally owned and operated, established in Arizona since 2003, and the owners – Fernando (Nando) Rios, Sean Whalen and myself are very ‘hands-on’ and will continue to be with the Maricopa location.”

He went on to say that in addition to being a good fit in terms of the cuisine, Nando’s also fills a huge need in the city.

“We felt the market needed more sit-down full-service restaurants similar to ours,” Shaughnessy said. “I’ve spent many weekends in Maricopa watching my daughter’s softball team play at Copper Sky Sports Complex and it seemed we were always looking for a place big enough to accommodate the team. Currently, we cater, sponsor and host a variety of athletic teams in the east Valley and look forward to doing the same in Maricopa.”

Nando’s was founded in 2003 in Gilbert and has added three other locations in Mesa, Chandler, and Queen Creek over the ensuing 18 years. The restaurant is positioned as a local family restaurant featuring traditional family recipes.