Nando's Endorsed Facebook Page. The name Nando's comes from Fernando, the name of one of the founders of the chain - Fernando Duarte. He and a friend, Robert Brozin, bought a restaurant called Chickenland in Rosettenville, near Johannesburg in 1983. This became the fir...st Nando's restaurant, which incorporated influences by former Portuguese colonists from Mozambique, many of whom had settled on the south-eastern side of Johannesburg. As a result, Nando's is sometimes still referred to as Nando's Chickenland. you'll love Nando's (This is a Fan site for Nando's and has been endorsed by Nando's.)