Service is the 'secret ingredient' at Brazilian steakhouse

DUNWOODY, Ga. - Some people work in the front of the house, and others never leave the kitchen – and that’s the way it’s been for a long time in the restaurant business.  But a popular Brazilian steakhouse blues those lines with a unique tradition of savory service. 

The very first Fogo de Chão opened in the Brazilian countryside in 1979, and has since grown to more than thirty locations in the United States, Brazil, and Mexico.  That list now includes Dunwoody, with a recently-opened location in the Spruill Center Development near Perimeter Mall.  Service at Fogo de Chão is mainly provided by "gauchos," who prepare the restaurant’s wide variety of meats and then walk table-to-table, serving them.  General Manager Alceu Pressi trains these gauchos, teaching them not only the techniques to properly cook the dozens of cuts of meat, but also making sure they help provide a memorable experience while serving diners.

Good Day Atlanta’s Paul Milliken got a “rare” opportunity to train with Alceu Pressi and learn the basics of being a gaucho.  And yes, he did a little taste-testing, too!

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