Nando’s seeks to ‘knock it out of the park’

The wait — the long, long wait — for the expansion of the East Valley’s Nando’s Mexican Café to Maricopa is nearly over. And it seems no one is more excited than Tim Shaughnessy, one of three owners of the soon-to-be five-unit family gathering spot.

“It was 2020 when Maricopa first came on our radar,” said Shaughnessy, who teamed with partners Fernando “Nando” Rios and Sean Whalen. The pandemic and a series of developer delays slowed earlier plans, “but we’re moving forward now,” he said.

The targeted opening is late this month. Shaughnessy is confident residents and visitors will be pleased with what they find.

“I think it’s a great area, a great community,” he explained. “We’ve been really happy with the response so far from the city. Everyone is very friendly. The sky’s the limit. We want to knock it out of the park right off the bat.”

Shaughnessy and Rios launched Nando’s in Gilbert in 2003. Growth came in neighboring areas over the next 20 years — Mesa in 2009, Chandler three years later and Queen Creek in 2019. The latter provided some guidance for the owners of what to expect in Maricopa.
“There are a lot of snowbirds and their guests here. It’s a busy time of year. We really have to set the tone with our service,” Shaughnessy shared. “You can’t overprepare for these openings.

“Our demographic is families. When you grew up with your family and you went to a certain restaurant to celebrate special occasions — that’s what we want to be.”

An experienced team with proficiency at the other locations will be coming in to manage the Maricopa restaurant. Approximately 50 new employees, evenly divided between full- and part-time, will be on board.

Shaughnessy explained it was fitting he conducted his interview with InMaricopa while driving in his car. He and the other owners employ a hands-on philosophy, constantly traveling between the various locations.

The expansive Sonoran-style menu includes a broad range of family favorite recipes originating from Rios and his family. The fajitas, enchiladas and burritos are accompanied by appetizers such as a Mexican pizza and pizza blanco.

Two unique offerings include the popular pollo rico, a crisp chicken burro topped with jalapeño cream cheese and cheddar cheese, and the faja pasta, grilled chicken or steak sautéed with a spicy chipotle cream sauce, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and fresh jalapeños served on a bed of fettuccine.

Maricopa resident Julie Harris recently visited the Chandler location and came away impressed — beginning with the expansive menu and timely service and continuing with the quality of the food.

“I’ve been to Nando’s several times, and it never disappoints,” she said. “Our entire group loved their entrees. The food is outstanding with plentiful portions that allow you to enjoy your meal and have some leftovers to relish at home.”

The new Nando’s, at the northeast corner of Edison Road and John Wayne Parkway, will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. A special brunch menu will be available Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each restaurant has at least a dozen daily lunch specials, and happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. weekdays will include a variety of unique offerings.

The Maricopa location will seat about 150 customers indoors and another 40 to 50 on the patio. Live entertainment has been featured in a smaller patio setting at Queen Creek.

Shaughnessy said Nando’s will be an active participant in the community, already sponsoring softball and Little League teams.

“We do a ton of fundraisers. We feed high school football teams all the time,” he said. “We have a Christmas Angels program where people can buy a present for someone in need.”
A mural unveiling, featuring a local symbol, will be part of the grand opening in Maricopa.