Nando’s & BERO capitalise on mindful drinking

Casual dining giant Nando’s is aggressively expanding its liquid refreshment strategy to capture the rapidly growing demographic of sober-curious consumers.

The peri-peri chicken specialist will introduce actor Tom Holland’s premium non-alcoholic beer brand, BERO, across its entire estate of more than 450 UK restaurants. Consequently, this strategic mindful drinking boom integration — secured as a high-profile 12-month listing — demonstrates how mainstream hospitality chains are modernising their beverage portfolios to cater to younger diners seeking high-quality alcohol alternatives.

Exploiting the cultural shift toward temperance

The decision to list BERO’s signature Kingston Golden Pils arrives alongside Nando’s highly anticipated summer menu refresh. Historically, soft drinks and standard lagers dominated the casual dining beverage matrix. However, contemporary consumer data shows a massive behavioural shift among Gen Z and millennial demographics toward moderation and wellness. By providing a crisp, full-flavoured non-alcoholic pilsner that mimics the social experience of traditional drinking, Nando’s successfully prevents premium beverage spend from leaking out of its restaurants.

Celebrity authenticity

Crucially, the commercial tie-up avoids the pitfalls of hollow, corporate celebrity endorsements by leveraging a well-documented, multi-year brand relationship. Holland is a public superfan of the restaurant chain, and Nando’s has long supported his family’s charitable foundation, The Brothers Trust. This authentic cultural alignment gives the product launch immediate credibility on social media platforms, ensuring high initial trial rates and organic engagement among the actor’s expansive fanbase.

John Herman, co-founder and CEO of BERO, stressed the synergy behind the nationwide rollout: “Nando’s has been part of Tom’s world for a long time, so this one feels pretty special. It’s exactly the kind of moment we created BERO for, bringing people together over big flavours, good company and occasions you want to be fully present for. Nando’s is already part of people’s routines across the UK, so bringing BERO into that mix, just in time for summer, feels like a perfect match.”

Flavour-pairing dynamics

The beverage has been explicitly positioned as a flavour-pairing tool to complement the restaurant’s signature spice matrix. Non-alcoholic beers frequently struggle in hospitality settings if they cannot stand up to bold, savoury food profiles. BERO’s crisp pilsner formulation is engineered to cut through the heat of flame-grilled peri-peri marinades, allowing waitstaff to easily upsell the beverage alongside standard food orders during the high-volume summer trading period.

Hannah Smith, brand director at Nando’s, confirmed that expanding alternative beverage architecture is a core priority for the group: “We’re always looking at ways to give our customers more choice, and expanding our low and no offering is a big part of that. BERO is full of flavour and pairs perfectly with our PERi-PERi, especially as we head into the summer months. Nando’s and Tom go way back, so bringing this into our restaurants feels like a really natural fit.”

Setting a new standard for casual dining beverage menus

This partnership underscores a broader evolution within the food and beverage industry, where low- and no-alcohol products are no longer treated as secondary menu afterthoughts.

As independent challenger brands achieve mainstream scalability, major restaurant operators must rethink their supply lines to include sophisticated, adult-oriented alcohol alternatives. For the wider casual dining sector, Nando’s nationwide rollout proves that aligning with premium, culture-driven beverage brands is essential to maximising table spend and maintaining demographic relevance.