Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse — Restaurant in Atlanta

I normally don’t leave reviews, but this experience was so terrible and disgusting that it pulled me out of “retirement.” From the management to the wait staff to the overall cleanliness of the restaurant, this establishment is hands-down one of the worst I’ve ever been to. I’ve visited several locations of this franchise across the country, and this one ranks at the very bottom. Right away, my family and I noticed something unsettling: despite many open tables, we were sat in a corner, and we noticed this same treatment given repeatedly to other guests who looked like us. Whether it was intentional discrimination or not, the difference in service and hospitality toward other tables compared to ours was impossible to ignore. This visit was supposed to be special—it was my birthday, and it was also my sister’s and her child’s very first time at one of these restaurants. Our expectations were high, but instead of being celebrated, we felt disregarded. They didn’t acknowledge my birthday at all, and the overall service was insulting at best. The food was another disaster. Everything brought to our table was severely overcooked or burnt. Despite repeatedly asking for specific cuts, we were skipped over multiple times, and when they finally brought something, it was never what we asked for—and still overdone. To make matters worse, my sister—who had undergone a surgery that limits how much she can eat—attempted to present her medical card, which has no name or expiration date, as is standard. Instead of handling the situation with understanding and respect, the associate repeatedly hounded her for unnecessary information, even suggesting she call or email someone on the spot. The way they badgered her was degrading, embarrassing, and deeply disrespectful to my family. No one should ever be treated that way in a restaurant. Cleanliness was equally appalling. The restrooms were filthy, with urine all over the place, and the dining area itself felt unkempt and neglected. Finally, when I raised questions about the food, service, or bill, I overheard staff talking about us behind our backs to other employees. That level of unprofessionalism is beyond unacceptable. This was not just disappointing—it was insulting, unsanitary, and flat-out unacceptable. Please, do yourself a favor: do not come here. Don’t think about it, don’t give it a chance—just go somewhere else entirely. This location is a complete embarrassment to the franchise and not worth your time, money, or energy.

Something I forgot to mention is that my sister had surgery that limits how much she can eat, and she presented her medical card to the associate. The card doesn’t have a name or date on it, but instead of showing understanding, the associate relentlessly hounded my sister—demanding an email or that she call someone to verify it. She continuously spoke down to her and degraded my family in a way I wouldn’t wish on...

2-14-20 - Valentine's Day out with my wife Fogo de Chao. Made reservations for 3 PM since we waited later than normal. Worth the visit and time of day. Waited a little while to be seated. Nice location and servers were great. We were near the salad bar and in a different location this time. Food was great, and this time my favorite choice, Parmesan Pork came out first. So I got more of it than other selections. Very tender. The rest of the night was very good after that. Will be back for sure.

3-28-19 - Used meal credit from Valentine's Day. Great day, able to get seated long before 30 minute wait time. Sunday's a good day to eat here. Not too crowded, but crowded enough. Salad bar was nice, but had to wait for the bacon. It's just that good. Potatoes and sides were good, but it was the meat I came for. The kept a variety coming, and we even had them bring over two types of steak sauces, for the dry pieces. Most of the meat was moist, and the way we like it. I had to keep asking for Parmesan Pork, but they finally brought it over when I went to get some bacon. It was worth the wait, and haf them bring more later. Most people like the ribs, steak, etc, but its always moist and melts in your mouth, without all the fat. Saved a spot for dessert this time compliments of our server and our upcoming special day. It was coconut custard and rice pudding type dish with ice cream, but good! We had a team of people assisting us, changing out our plates, making sure we were happy, etc. We met several couples, families, and patrons while there, which also helped make our stay more enjoyable.

2-14-2019 - Valentine's Day at Fogo de Chao. Great time, great food, great service. From the moment we were greeted till we left we were taken care of. Everyone from the greeters, servers, meat cutters, etc were accommodating, professional, and more. Get there early or when they first open if you go for dinner on Valentine's. We arrived a little after 5. We've been here before but this time on Valentine's because of the meal offer when you do, if so make sure you ask for the card before leaving. Our server was Rafael. He kept our plates clean, drinks replenished, and the meat choices we wanted coming. If you go remember like the traffic light, green means go, and red means stop. If you leave your card on green the meat cutters will continue to stop at your table with meat choices (Chicken leg or Breast, Sausage, Pork Chops, Pork Ribs, Lamb, Beef Sirloin, and many other choices). The signature meal includes a very nice salad bar, and sides of rolls, mashed potatoes, fried bananas, and a specialty dish. Don't consume too much salad, sides, and bread, or you won't have room for the meat choices. If you want your meat well done, medium well, etc let them know and they will bring it or have someone bring it. We'll be...

This is my first review of any restaurant ever, but I was compelled to write one after tonight... Where do I begin... so I visited earlier this evening on Veteran's day to celebrate the day with my family. First, there was no valet available as it was CROWDED so had to find my own parking spot which was a challenge but nothing that would ruin a night.. We had a reservation for 7:30 pm and checked in upon arrival at around 7:26 pm. We didn't get seated until 8:00 pm.. at this point I'm thinking what was the point of a reservation. There was another group that was waiting next to us who had been waiting for over 45mins... Now that we were finally seated, things could only go up from here, right??

So upon sitting down, I asked if there was a Veteran's day promotion, to which the server replied "yes" and explained that servicemember recieves 50% off and the guests also receive 10% off. Awesome. The server verified my military ID, and we proceeded with ordering coke and ginger ale...... which did not come for about 20 min. It was a busy night so I tried really hard to not hold it against the server. Had to raise my hand to get her attention and ask for our drinks. She finally got our drinks and poured the can into the glass... over our toddler's head! Thankfully she didn't spill and on our kid, but wow... talk about not paying attention to your guests...

Now because we were seated 30 min later than our reservation, our toddler was hungry and angry. I understand our kid's mood is not the restaurant's fault but I couldn't help but think that we would've already been almost done with our dinner by now had we been seated on time. My wife had to step outside to console our daughter not even half way through eating her food. When she was back, we both lost our appetite with what was turning into the worst dinner experience of the year.. I asked for the check and to my surprise, we were charged for the full price, without the veteran's discount. Had it been any other days, I probably would've just paid the full amount no big deal. But after all that had happened tonight, I wasn't having it. So I called the server and asked her to apply the discount. She apologized and returned with another check couple of minutes later... with the charge same as the FIRST check! So I asked again.... now this was getting really frustrating, embarrassing, annoying, all at once. She finally brought the check with the correct charge the third time.

Just a few thoughts... Please respect your customer's time and reservation. Please train your servers to pay attention to detail. This is a restaurant that charges $50-$100 per person. Food was good though. And the servers serving...