Fans of large hunks of meat on sticks and all-you-can-eat buffets will be pleased to learn that San Francisco appears to be getting its first Fogo de Chão, at Third and Howard.
The cavernous SoMa space was a Chevy's Fresh Mex for more than a decade before it closed on March 27th. It's a fairly ideal location for the international churrascaria chain: a stone's throw from conference-goers at the Moscone Center and tourists visiting the soon-to-return SFMOMA, about a block from a forthcoming Central Subway stop, and a short walk from any number of new residential developments in progress.
Inside Scoop brought news of the new location's debut on Monday. There's already a liquor license application in the works, as well as Craigslist help-wanted ads for employees, including this one that claims the restaurant will be opening soon. A notice of non-responsibility (which shields Fogo's landlord from responsibility if the new tenant doesn't pay its contractors) has also been filed, so there must be some major remodeling planned. Inside Scoop reported that multiple building permits are in the works for first-floor demolition and increased ceiling height, among other projects.
The former Chevy's space, soon to house Fogo de Chão. (Photo: Google Street View)
Hoodline reached out to Fogo de Chão, but because the company has recently filed to go public on the NASDAQ exchange, the resulting SEC-imposed "quiet period" limits its communications with the press. While we don't have an estimated opening date, most of the details will likely be the same, given that the chain has 26 locations in the United States and Puerto Rico and nine in Brazil. Diners can expect a traditional Brazilian-style churrascaria experience, with a dizzying array of rotisserie meats—from seafood to chicken to sausage to various cuts of beef—sliced off of skewers tableside, plus unlimited sides and a "market table" with salads, cheeses, desserts and more. At other locations, lunch runs $34.95 and dinner is $54.95.
Fogo de Chão is not the only concept of this kind in San Francisco (Espetus Churrascaria has been in Hayes Valley since 2003), but it's definitely set to be the largest. And it should only grow from there: as the Craigslist ad puts it, "With over thirty years of history and 30+ thriving locations in the United States and Brazil, we are maintaining solid sales growth and will continue to expand this exciting concept into new and diverse markets."
