Fogo de Chão facts for kids
Fogo de Chão steakhouse in Washington, DC
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Fine dining |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founders | Arri and Jair Coser |
| Headquarters | , |
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Number of locations
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62 |
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Area served
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United States, Brazil, Mexico, UAE |
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Key people
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Barry McGowan (CEO), Larry Johnson (Director), Tony Laday (CFO), Rick Lenderman (COO), Janet Gieselman (CMO), Selma Oliveira (CPO/CCO), Andrew Feldmann (Pres Int'l) |
| Products | Churrasco |
| Parent | Rhône Capital |
Fogo de Chão (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈfo.ɡu dʒi ʃɐ̃w]) is a full-service churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse) restaurant with locations in Brazil and around the world, serving rodízio-style food. Customers turn a marker green side up to get meat, or red side up to no longer receive meat.
The restaurant was founded by two brothers, Arri and Jair Coser, with the first location in the Brazilian countryside of Porto Alegre. In addition to the restaurants in Brazil, the chain has over 50 US locations in addition to locations in select cities around the world such as Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, UAE, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and several locations in Mexico. Fogo de Chão currently has a total of nearly 70 locations worldwide and growing. In early 2022 Fogo announced its plans to bring the culinary art of churrasco to Asia for the first time with the goal to open five Fogo de Chão locations to the Philippines over the next six years. The agreement came with the signing of a new franchise development agreement and partnership with the leading Manila-based multi-brand restaurant operator, The Bistro Group.
Description
The name Fogo de Chão means "ground fire", and refers to the traditional gaúcho method of roasting meats over an open fire. They offer either a "full churrasco experience" which includes continuous servings of fire-roasted beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and other meats, as well as a buffet or à la carte service.
The restaurants are typically located in busy metropolitan areas throughout the US. Restaurants measure on average 10,600 square feet (980 m2), and typically consist of restaurant seating, a buffet-style salad bar (the "Market Table"), and a bar (referred to as "Bar Fogo").
The midtown Manhattan location is a flagship restaurant with three levels measuring 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2) with private and semi-private dining areas for special events.
The design of the locations are considered "warm and contemporary yet timeless - meant to really enhance the guests' experience". The restaurant has been renovating older restaurants to match the new design aesthetic throughout the chain.
History
The founders of Fogo de Chão, Arri and Jair Coser, grew up on a traditional Southern Brazilian farm in the Serra Gaúcha. It is here that they learned to cook in the churrasco grilling tradition. The founding brothers left the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul and traveled to Rio and São Paulo for formal training, while developing the Fogo concept. Their first restaurant, a wood structure in the countryside of Porto Alegre, was followed by a second restaurant in São Paulo. As Arri Coser told São Paulo-based writer Rafael Tonon, tourists who came to the São Paulo restaurant encouraged him to open a churrascaria style restaurant abroad.
In 1997, the Cosers opened their first US branch in Addison, Texas, just north of Dallas. Between 1997 and 2020, the restaurant continued its expansion globally, with 57 restaurants across the US, Brazil, Mexico, and the Middle East. The company announced plans for further growth around the world.
In April 2020, Fogo de Chão and a number of other US restaurant chains applied for funding through the Paycheck Protection Program due to lost business during the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic. Fogo de Chão received $20 million in assistance and loan forgiveness through the program.
Ownership
The Brazilian private equity firm, GP Investments, made their initial investment in Fogo de Chão in 2006 and sold its shares to American private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners in 2012. On April 20, 2015, the company filed for an initial public offering on the NASDAQ. It traded there under the symbol FOGO until April 5, 2018, when it was acquired by Rhône Capital.
Other activities
In April 2019 the Boerne, Texas-based agri-tech company, HerdX announced that it would be partnering with Fogo de Chão to use blockchain technology and digital tagging to trace the provenance of the beef Fogo de Chão serves in its restaurants—ultimately allowing diners, who can scan in a HerdX-generated QR code, to know the name and location of the ranch that raised the cattle. HerdX recently completed a similar project with United Parcel Service shipments of Texas ranch-raised beef to Japan.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fogo de Chão restaurants in Troy (Michigan), San Francisco, and in other cities, have worked with the non-profit, No Kid Hungry to donate meals to needy families, hospitals, and other institutions.
In popular media
Fogo de Chão was mentioned on Amazon’s original series The Boys season 1 episode 2.
See also
In Spanish: Fogo de Chão para niños
