Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse — Restaurant in Scottsdale

I have been going to Fogo de Chão now for years and sadly I am not sure I can go any longer. The atmosphere of this location has been upended to provide more space to pack in more guests and it has made the experience feel very packed and rushed. Let me share some of the key points before I expand on my visit:

They have recently renovated the location to expand the bar into a larger area, and convert what was once outdoor seating into a new room.

The new room was being used as a waiting area for guests. Sunday night it was rather packed. MANY MANY people were there and they were tired of waiting and were hungry.

They were seating customers for the full churrasco in this new "bar" area. This area had no separator between it and the crowded waiting area (both areas were a part of the same larger area).

The new Bar area creates a choke point between the bar, a column, and a set of tables that is only around 36" wide. Just enough for one person to walk through to venture from the new "bar" seating area to the main dining room (which you will need to do to reach the Market Table salad bar).

With those points in mind I'll expand on why my visit was such a disappointment:

Starting our meal with a trip to the Market Table was an adventure. We would have to navigate the bar choke point to reach it (or pass directly through the entrance lobby). We had to constantly watch out for bar patrons, servers, and gauchos as we did this. Once we sat to enjoy our choices from the Market Table, we realized we were being watched by the customers waiting for their table... it felt very awkward to be their target of attention while we ate. Then, once we were ready for gaucho service and the infamous red coaster was turned green it took almost 10 minutes to get any meat to reach the table. This was because of the choke point. Other tables near the choke point made it impossible for any meat to remain past that choke point of customers. By the time they had passed the area into the new "bar" seating area, at least 6 tables had consumed from the gaucho and he would turn to return to the kitchen. I quickly realized I was at the mercy of others who were eating. So I turned to the recently delivered sides to bide my time till I was able to see a gaucho again. Regretfully, I was delivered cold mashed potatoes. The polenta was not fresh or crispy but instead hard and tasteless. The caramelized bananas were "rubbery" and not very palatable. One of my favorites, Pão de Queijo, were cold and tasteless. It was just a let down to receive such poor quality sides. BUT GOOD NEWS, a gaucho has arrived. I turned to enjoy the meat instead... but even that was difficult. Many of the cuts were tough and chewy. I would ask for medium rare cuts but it seems all I would get was medium to well... it felt like the meat was cooked fast. I had to speak with one of the floor customer service supervisors to get a gaucho with Picanha to arrive, and even then the cut was again well done. Being in the "bar" area also limited the cuts I was able to sample to only a handful.

That being said, the customer service supervisor who I spoke with acknowledged the issues and confirmed they were doing what they could to adapt to the new space. She worked to get gauchos to my table, but we had resigned to ending our meal by the time more showed up.

My advice is to not accept any seating in this new "bar" seating area and only accept seating in the main dining room. I believe our location led to the poor experience we had.

To Fogo: Your recent renovation and flow to this location is on the borderline of safety. I felt very uneasy trying to navigate this new chokepoint with a plate of food... imagine how a gaucho must feel with a carving knife, or a server must feel with a tray of sides trying to get...

My fiancée, her daughter, and I were excited to try this restaurant, but the experience turned out to be one of the most disappointing dining experiences we’ve ever had.

From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere was overwhelming. The band was blasting so loudly it felt more like a concert than background music. We could hardly hear each other speak.

I told the host we had a reservation and that I had signed up for the $49 promotional meal the restaurant was advertising. Once seated, I made it clear that I was ordering the $49 promotion, my fiancée was ordering from the bar, and my stepdaughter ordered the salmon.

When the bill came, it was over $230. Both my meal and my fiancée’s were listed at $65 each. When I asked the server about it, he brushed me off and said, “No, it’s $65.” When I explained that my fiancée only ordered from the bar, he spoke down to us and said, “Look at all the food on her plate,” in a condescending tone. My fiancée is a NICU nurse who works incredibly hard serving others — she deserved respect, not to be dismissed like that.

The $49 promotion was clearly misleading, and instead of honoring it, we were overcharged and belittled when we asked questions.

I also mentioned that I am a military veteran. The server grabbed the bill from my hand and said, “Yeah, I’ll give you the military discount.” The discount ended up being just $6 — barely 2%. Later, when my fiancée called the manager to ask, she was told the discount should have been 10%. This inconsistency and lack of integrity is unacceptable. It felt like both a veteran and a first responder were disrespected during this experience.

To make matters worse, service throughout the night was chaotic. We were brought food we didn’t order not once, but three separate times, with servers asking, “Did you order this?” For a restaurant at this price point, that level of carelessness is unacceptable.

The only positive part of the evening was when one of the meat delivery gentlemen, who spoke Spanish, was very kind and welcoming. Sadly, that was the only moment that stood out in a good way.

I’ve had better meals while deployed in the Gulf under far harsher conditions. For what was supposed to be a special night out with my family, this was a complete disappointment. Between the loud, uncomfortable environment, the misleading pricing, the sloppy service, and the lack of respect shown, we will not...

This is a tale of two experiences.

First- the Positive-

Mary was our server and was absolutely amazing- pleasant, kind, efficient, and she had about 136 tables. :) She was amazing.

Laura was amazing as well. She was the "helper". Our drinks were always full and plates were always clean.

Rachel- the guest relations manager was amazing. She went above and beyond to make sure my wife and I were happy. She was the shining star and is the reason we will be back.

Hostesses- they were under attack all night and they stood their ground. The should not have been in the situation they were in, but they did an admirable job.

Now, the negative-

Reservation System- This place has, what may be, the worst reservation system. It happened to us on Fathers Day, and again last weekend. 5:45 reservation. We walk in and it is wall to wall people. I mean, packed. We are told we are checked in. Now, when a place is busy there is always an expectation that a reservation may be pushed 15 minutes or so. 6:00, 6:15, 6:20.. We ask and are told "we cannot give estimates". 6:30, 6:40.. told 3 tables ahead of us. Finally, 65 minutes after our reservation we are seated. On Fathers Day it as 140 minutes past. There has to be a better system.

Food- The food was below par- not terrible, not bad, but you could tell everything was being rushed due to the crowds. There was not the usual care put into to the meats. Some were over seasoned, some under seasoned, some burnt, some very rare, etc.. You could just tell the gauchos were being rushed. Pork was dry.. Not terrible- we ate our fill, but not the usual standard.

Atmosphere- I get it, its busy- but waiters carrying chairs over our heads, tables lifted over us, behind us, around us. Back door propped open so they can get more chairs, while freezong us out. I felt like I was in a whirlwind. I get it, busy night, but I felt on edge all night, LOL It seemed everything was "go go go go"...

Overall, not terrible in any way and we will be back. Rachel made the night enjoyable, and, again, food was not terrible by any means.

I post the negatives only so they may see them and maybe work to fix the system. For us, we are chill- We sit, have a drink- I went to the salad bar and brought some food back to my wife in the lobby. But others are not so chill.

First world problems. :)

Love this place, love the staff- maybe the secret is to come on a...