One of the first restaurant casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic has hit South Delta.
In a statement issued Friday, global chicken chain Nando's said they will be closing nearly two-dozen locations across Canada, including four in Metro Vancouver.
The South African-founded restaurant says they have "experienced a sharp decline in sales during the COVID-19 crisis" in Canada.
In the coming weeks, Nando's Canada will be closing 21 of their corporate-owned locations, shaving their operations to nearly half. The company says those restaurants are locations that "have not been commercially viable for some time, and their losses were only exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis."
The four locations in Metro Vancouver to close include: Tsawwassen, South Burnaby, Queensborough (New Westminster) and Centerview (North Vancouver).
However, 27 locations will remain open nationwide, in B.C., Alberta, and Ontario. Of those 27, 13 are corporate-owned, while the remaining 14 are franchise locations.
Some of those locations are currently offering the chain's signature Peri-Peri chicken and sides for pick-up or delivery through third-party carriers. Employees from shuttered locations may be able to retain employment with the company at other Nando's locations.
In B.C., the following Nando's locations will remain open:
West Oaks
Coquitlam
Langley
Richmond North (Garden City)
Metrotown
Surrey (Strawberry Hill)
Park Royal (West Van)
Walnut Grove
White Rock (South Surrey)
Coppersmith (Ironwood)
Davie & Howe (Downtown)
Guildford
Kerrisdale
Kingsway
-with files from Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver is AWESOME