Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse — Restaurant in Roseville

Update : Fogo de Chao 2nd Visit I received a call about my last review which detailed my terrible experience a few months ago. I was told I would be offered either a free lunch or a free dinner in hopes of a better experience. I agreed and was emailed the offer code by the assistant manager Yuri Lopes who stated I should make a reservation and ask for him. I booked a reservation for 9 PM on a Saturday thinking that it would not be too busy especially since the restaurant closes at 10:30. I figured an hour and a half would be enough time to enjoy dinner. I booked a reservation and left notes about the offer and asking for the assistant manager, and then when we arrived, I relayed that same information to the hostess. We had a decent server the first 30 minutes of dinner who informed us that there had been 4 other parties who had come in with the same offer. We were also informed that the mashed potatoes were being made, and would be out shortly. Within the 30 minutes we only saw maybe two servers bring us meat; first was bacon wrapped chicken, second one was sausage. We had a server switch but only saw this server twice, one to deliver our drinks and to tell us the cheese and honey sever would be a few minutes. We got 3-4 more servings of meat. The carver cut me a piece that was all from the side of the meat instead of piece from the middle resulting in just over cooked tough skin. Another meat was way over cooked. My fiancé said it looked like dog food. Our last meat served informed us the cheese and honey would not be coming around as they are getting ready to close. We requested this at 9:45 the restaurant doesn’t close until 10:30 but I guess they stop serving at 10. This is ridiculous for a restaurant, you should inform guests when last call is. Finally we asked for our check twice and waited 20 minutes before we stood up and waited by the door. The hostess came around and said “welcome in” like she wasn’t the same hostess who seated us and also could see our table as we were only 10 feet away. We told her we were trying to leave and she attempted to seat us again to wait for the check. I declined and reiterated we needed to go. She got her manager to my surprise was Yuri. I informed him of the email and he said the meal was taken care of including our drinks which we wanted to pay for. Never did he ask me about my experience or talk to us the entire dinner. This was 100% worse than the last time b/c not only was the food the same terrible quality, the service was horrendous. I don’t know what’s going on with this restaurant I can’t imagine a corporation would allow this type of service and food.

I had the displeasure of coming here on date night with my fiancé. We had eaten here once before in January and it was great. This time was beyond disappointing. We had an emotionless server and terrible table at first but the host was able to get us a much more comfortable spot which came with a different server as well. Luciana greeted us with a friendly smile and had wonderful customer service, asked what we were celebrating and if we had any questions. She kept us updated on our drink order and checked on us several times. We also had two more servers Aly and Mya check on us as well. All three women were exceptional and I wish we could just give them a 5 star review. Unfortunately the food was horrendous and almost nauseating. We chose the indulgent churrasco which came with our choice of an extra delicacy. My fiancé and I both choose the lobster tail which was the worst lobster I’ve ever had. Overcooked and flavorless and it was so small too! My microwaved costco lobster was better than the rubbery garbage. We had to ask for certain things like the seared pineapple and filet mignon. They ask how you would like your filet mignon and my fiancé said rare… please look at the picture and tell me what that abomination is. We felt sick after eating and took our dessert to go. We wish we could come back for the service but we can’t eat at a restaurant where the food is this bad. Especially for the price...

Update: emailed them 13 days ago, at owner's request and never received a reply. We arrived as they opened were seated quickly and happy to try the first round of meats-a limited selection before they started coming back with the same cuts. We were specifically watching for new things, pineapple and the cheese guy- so we declined the second servings so we wouldn't fill up before trying the variety. Saying "no" seemed to put us in a black void of nonexistence as several of the gauchos began offering meats to the tables around us and then walked away without approaching us. Most of it we didn't want but twice one of the meat cuts we did want another slice of walked away as I tried to flag them down. My husband went to the restroom while we waited- I checked my phone, 12:10. While he was gone, someone did check on me and I asked about the pineapple (which we hadn't seen) and cheese (only saw when we first arrived). I was informed the pineapple was by request only and they'd get me some. Husband returned and we were passed by a few more times before our waiter asked if we needed anything else. We repeated our request for pineapple and cheese, but also requested our 2 favorite cuts of meat. A minute later he returned to our area to tell our neighbor table that the meat was on its way. The gaucho did arrive with the meats, which he served to the neighbors but we did get his attention to get some ourselves. We finally saw the cheese man- and he started at one end of the room, and I watched his progress. He served the table behind my husband then walked away as I waved at him and said "cheese!!" If my husband had been looking the right direction, he could have reached out and tapped him- that's how close he was to us, but neither of us expected him to ignore us and the 2 tables to either side of us before leaving our area and moving to the other side of the restaurant (we never got the cheese). Pineapple finally arrived to us around 12:40. After eating that, we were actively looking at the staff, waving to them if they turned their bodies in our direction- one staff member walked towards us, then turned to walk past the table behind us while I waved at her, but she never looked up from her feet as she walked in a zig zag pattern between several tables before returning to her station and standing, still looking at the ground (avoiding eye contact with customers and other staff). Finally, someone came to ask us if we needed anything else and I asked for a dessert menu. He said sure and walked away. A minute later someone else came to ask if we needed anything, and we said we had asked for a dessert menu, which he produced and waited so we could order the brulee cheesecake everyone raves about. That took it's sweet time to arrive, but it, at least, was well worth the wait. Absolutely amazing. When the cheesecake arrived, my husband and I joked about how long it would take us to get the bill, but that was something they did quickly. Our waiter, when he dropped it off, said "no rush, whenever you're ready" while actively walking away so he didn't hear me say "we have the card right here" while my husband held the card up and I pointed to it... so we did have to wait for them to come and take our payment. We were actively putting on our coats when another staff member came and filled up our waters... which left me a little perplexed. I swears she looked at our water cups, filled them up, never saying a word or making eye contact as we were both halfway out of our seats, actively leaving our table. Gorgeous atmosphere- especially decorated for Christmas. For the price point, not sure I'll be back, but if I do, I'll ask for the things I...

Initial impression 1/5 stars. Final rating, 4/5 stars.

Having enjoyed Brazilian steakhouses in the past, we were eager to try Fogo de Chao. We arrived 15 minutes early for our 7:15 reservation, but we didn’t get seated until 7:45, a full 30 minutes after our scheduled time. The restaurant was packed with customers waiting to be seated, and there was a big crowd around tables where patrons were trying to eat and while gauchos were attempting to serve them. I can only imagine how uncomfortable it must have felt for those customers to be watched while eating. The tables in the restaurant were also very close together, which added to the stress of watching gauchos squeeze and navigate through them with hot plates of meat and sharp knives. It felt like an accident waiting to happen.

While we waited, we moved over to the bar to order a drink. My husband stood there for nearly five minutes while the three bartenders walked by without acknowledging him or making eye contact. Finally, one bartender made eye contact and assured us he would be with us shortly, which he was. However, while making our drinks, there was an unfortunate display of unprofessionalism. The bartender loudly expressed his displeasure with a female server by calling her a “fing B*” as she walked away, and then repeating the same thing immediately after. While we weren’t necessarily offended by the language itself, it was the level of disrespect and the lack of professionalism that left a bad taste in our mouths.

Additionally, one of the beers we ordered was listed as a happy hour special, yet we were charged $5.50 instead of the $5.00 price on the menu. It wasn’t a huge deal, but it would have been nice if the menu reflected the current pricing.

We were close to leaving and checking out other nearby restaurants, but we chose to stay. Finally, we were seated and were lucky to be at a table away from the crowded waiting area. At this point, we had rated the experience 1 out of 5 stars, and our expectations were pretty low.

However, our server, Katey, completely turned our experience around. She greeted us with warmth and explained the menu in detail, making helpful suggestions along the way. She talked us through the different dining options and we decided to go for the full Churrasco. The buffet was well-stocked with fresh options, and the meat was brought to our table promptly and in generous portions. Everything was delicious, and the food quality exceeded our expectations.

What really made the experience stand out, though, was the exceptional service we received from Katey. She checked on us regularly, making sure we got to try all the different meats, and if we missed any, she quickly coordinated with a gaucho to bring them over. Katey was also attentive with our bar orders and ensured that they were exactly to our liking. Her care and attentiveness transformed our evening from a frustrating experience to a memorable one.

Katey’s hospitality brought our rating up from 1 star to 4 stars. It was clear that the quality of the service had a huge impact on our overall enjoyment. Fogo management, you’d be wise to recognize the role your waitstaff plays in shaping the experience, as the bartender's foul mouth soured our initial opinion, Katey’s excellent service more than made up for the earlier disappointments. Despite the rough start, we’re now excited to return and hope that the other issues were just a series of flukes or have since been addressed.

Final...