Fogo de Chao, the national Brazilian steakhouse chain, is officially heading to Crabtree Valley Mall, bringing the brand’s first location inside Raleigh to one of the city’s busiest shopping hubs. The deal is a high-profile win for a mall that owner Macerich has been busy reshaping with new dining and entertainment tenants. Company materials and earnings commentary point to a tentative 2027 opening as construction and permitting move ahead.
Chain Picks Crabtree for Raleigh Debut
Triangle Business Journal first reported the lease on June 18, 2026, noting that Crabtree Valley Mall will host Fogo de Chao’s inaugural Raleigh outpost. The outlet framed the arrival as part of a broader wave of new tenants the mall has been lining up under its new ownership. As reported by Triangle Business Journal, the announcement marks a headline-grabbing restaurant addition for the center.
Owner's Redevelopment Push
Macerich bought Crabtree Valley Mall in June 2025 and has said it will invest roughly $60 million to modernize the center, reposition anchor boxes and attract more experiential operators. In the company’s Q1 2026 earnings commentary, executives singled out new deals at Crabtree and said Fogo de Chao is “scheduled to open in 2027.” According to Investing.com, that push is part of a broader “elevate and transform” leasing strategy for the property.
What Fogo Brings To The Table
Fogo de Chao is known for its tableside churrasco service and a sprawling Market Table stocked with salads, sides and antipasti, all designed for group and celebration dining. The chain has laid out an aggressive expansion plan through 2027, including a pipeline of new domestic openings detailed in a January 2026 release. As outlined by GlobeNewswire, the company is pursuing multiple new locations this year and next.
Part Of A Broader Eatertainment Push
The Fogo deal lands amid a broader wave of experiential leases at Crabtree, where operators are reworking former anchor spaces into entertainment and dining concepts. North Carolina’s first Level99, a 40,000-square-foot gaming and dining complex, is already slated for the former Belk men’s store, and local reporting points to several other big-name commitments in the mall’s pipeline. See coverage from The News & Observer and more detail on how Level99 takes over old Belk for a closer look at the transformation.
Timeline And What To Expect
Neither Macerich nor Fogo has released a firm ribbon-cutting date beyond the 2027 window cited in company commentary, and the ultimate schedule will hinge on permitting and construction. Until formal filings and a detailed build-out timeline surface, that 2027 target should be viewed as the company’s planning horizon rather than a locked-in opening day. This story will be updated as lease records or permit notices nail down an exact debut date.
