Nando’s has been forced to close dozens of restaurants in the United Kingdom due to shortages of the chain’s signature peri peri chicken.
Some 45 outlets were shuttered across England, Scotland and Wales, a spokesperson for Nando’s told CNN Business on Wednesday. The company has dispatched some of its employees to suppliers in order to get chicken shipments moving once again, the spokesperson added.
Nando’s is the latest in a series of UK companies to see its supply chain strained by a shortage of workers. The spokesperson said the primary bottleneck was at UK chicken distributors, which have warned in recent weeks that Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic have created a “perfect storm” that’s limiting production.
“The UK food industry has been experiencing disruption across its supply chain in recent weeks due to staff shortages and a number of our restaurants have been impacted,” Nando’s said in a statement.
Many UK food producers and restaurants have struggled to recruit workers during the coronavirus pandemic, heaping stress on supply chains that were already strained by Britain’s departure from the European Union. In recent months, worker shortages were exacerbated by UK rules that require people to isolate if they come into contact with someone who has been infected with the coronavirus.