Picture of Nando’s ‘New World Order’ sign not taken in UK

11 July 2023
What was claimed

A sign in a UK branch of Nando’s says: “We’re card only! Sorry, guess we’re part of the New World Order now.” Although the sign then says “just kidding”, this is not a joke.

Our verdict

This sign did not appear in a UK restaurant. Cash and card are both accepted by Nando’s in the UK.

A picture of what appears to be a sign on a cash register at restaurant chain Nando’s which says “guess we’re part of the New World Order Now” has been shared thousands of times on social media. 

While some of the posts themselves do not identify the location of the restaurant, many of the accounts sharing them appear to be based in the UK. Some of the posts call for customers to boycott the chain.  

The sign reads: “We’re card only! Sorry, guess we’re part of the New World Order now. Just kidding, card payments mean we spend less time counting coins and more time perfecting your chicken.” 

But while the sign is genuine, it did not appear in a UK branch of the restaurant chain. A Nando’s spokesperson said the restaurants accept both cash and card payments in the UK, which is consistent with the information listed on its website. 

They confirmed that the sign appeared in a Nando’s restaurant in the Asia-Pacific region, but did not specify exactly what country. Nando’s operates in a number of countries in the region, including Singapore, New Zealand, Malaysia and Australia.  

The sign’s mention of the New World Order appears to be a tongue-in-cheek reference to the conspiracy theory of the same name, which Full Fact has written about many times before

The conspiracy theory claims that a shadowy group of elites is working to establish a global system of government, coercing the public through a series of events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, terrorist attacks and climate change. 

We have also checked a number of misleading claims in the past about cash being eradicated in some way in order to make way for a digital-only financial system. These claims often appear alongside suggestions that the end of cash will pave the way for a global bank or social credit system. 

Image courtesy of Samuel Regan-Asante

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