Brazilian-style churrascaria steakhouses — where knife-wielding gauchos roam the dining room slicing grilled meats from vertical skewers in an all-you-can-eat setting with elaborate salad buffets — are poised to expand in the world market, according to Eater.
In a story tracing the history of churrasco, Brazil-based Rafael Tonon highlights the genre's strong Dallas connection: Popular chain Fogo de Chao opened its first U.S. location here in 1997. In fact, Tonon leads with a quote from former Dallas Morning News restaurant critic Dotty Griffith, who likened the Fogo de Chao experience to a "South American version of Bonanza" in a review a month after the churrascaria opened.
The Addison-based chain is poised to open a restaurant in Saudi Arabia, writes Tonon.
Meanwhile, Texas de Brazil — based in Dallas — opened in Dubai in 2015, and plans to open locations in Abu Dhabi later this year, and in Saudi Arabia and Qatar in 2017. Both chains already have two locations each in Mexico City.
CORRECTION: October 12, 2016
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: A previous version stated that Texas de Brazil was planning to open a location in Dubai, as Tonon wrote in his article. According to a spokeswoman for Texas de Brazil, that location was opened in September 2015, with additional Middle East locations planned.
