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Fogo de Chão licensed to open first North Carolina restaurant in Charlotte

Fogo de Chão licensed to open first North Carolina restaurant in Charlotte

Built World Charlotte, NC local

Brazilian steakhouse chain opened its first North Carolina restaurant in Uptown Charlotte

September 30th, 2026: Wine dinner promoted

Overview

Updated Oct 6

Fogo de Chão opened its first North Carolina restaurant in Uptown Charlotte on August 31, 2026. The Brazilian steakhouse at 200 S. Tryon Street has an open churrasco grill, where gaucho chefs carve fire-roasted meats tableside.

CEO Barry McGowan said the restaurant welcomes Charlotte's growing population. General manager Camilo Lopera leads a team that created over 100 local jobs. Fogo donated 10% of its first week of sales to Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.

Why it matters

Fogo de Chão's Charlotte opening introduces a national Brazilian steakhouse to an Uptown dining scene that relies heavily on office-worker traffic.

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Key Indicators

1st
North Carolina location for Fogo de Chão
The Charlotte restaurant is Fogo's first in the state.
100+
Local jobs created
The restaurant brought over 100 jobs to the area.
10%
First-week sales donated
Fogo donated 10% of opening-week sales to Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.

Voices

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People Involved

Barry McGowan
Barry McGowan
Chief Executive Officer, Fogo de Chão
Announced the Charlotte opening
 Camilo Lopera
Camilo Lopera
General Manager, Fogo de Chão Charlotte
Leading the Charlotte restaurant

Organizations Involved

Fogo de Chão
Fogo de Chão
Restaurant Chain
Operating its first North Carolina restaurant in Charlotte

Brazilian steakhouse chain known for fire-roasted meats carved tableside by gaucho chefs.
Mecklenburg County Public Health
Mecklenburg County Public Health
Government agency
Issuing food establishment permits for new restaurants

County agency that licenses and inspects food establishments in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

Timeline

1979 September 2026

7 events Latest: September 30th, 2026 · 4 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Wine dinner promoted

    Latest Marketing

    Company promotes Silver Oak wine dinner at the Charlotte location for Sept 30.

  2. Charlotte permit appears

    Regulatory

    Mecklenburg County food permit for 200 S Tryon surfaces on public list.

  3. Fogo de Chão opens in Charlotte

    Expansion

    Chain opens its first North Carolina restaurant at 200 S. Tryon Street in Uptown Charlotte.

  4. Rhône Capital acquires Fogo

    Ownership

    Private-equity firm takes the chain private.

  5. Fogo goes public

    Market

    Chain lists on Nasdaq under FOGO ticker.

  6. First US location opens

    Expansion

    Fogo opens in Addison, Texas, starting US growth.

  7. Fogo de Chão founded

    Founding

    Chain opens first churrascaria in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Scenarios

1

Fogo de Chão opens Charlotte restaurant in coming weeks

Deadline passed (Q3 2026)

Discussed by: Fogo's own website promoting the September 30 wine dinner and local Charlotte food media

The permit is in hand and the company is marketing events at the location. A public opening, likely coinciding with the September 30 wine dinner, would mark the chain's North Carolina debut.

2

Fogo de Chão delays Charlotte opening

Deadline passed (Q3 2026)

Discussed by: Observers noting that construction, staffing, and final inspections can push back launch dates even after a permit is granted

Restaurants often clear licensing before construction, staffing, and final inspections are complete. A delay would push the opening to October or later, despite the wine dinner promotion.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1997

Fogo de Chão's first U.S. restaurant (1997)

Fogo de Chão opened its first American location in Addison, Texas, a Dallas suburb. The restaurant brought the chain's churrasco format of fire-roasted meats carved tableside to the US market for the first time.

Then

The Addison restaurant became a template for US expansion, leading to new locations across Texas and the Southeast.

Now

Fogo grew to dozens of US restaurants, went public in 2015, and was taken private in 2018. The Charlotte opening follows the same expansion playbook.

Why this matters now

The 1997 debut shows the model Fogo is applying in Charlotte: enter a new market with a flagship restaurant and grow from there.

2000s

Brazilian steakhouse wave reaches the US Southeast (2000s)

During the 2000s, Brazilian steakhouse chains including Texas de Brazil and Chama Gaúcha expanded across the US Southeast. They made the churrasco experience a standard option in mid-market dining cities.

Then

Steakhouses proliferated in cities like Charlotte, Atlanta, and Dallas, competing on price and meat variety.

Now

The category now anchors downtown and suburban dining in many markets, setting up Fogo's entry into Charlotte.

Why this matters now

Charlotte already hosts several upscale steakhouses. Fogo's arrival adds another option in an established category.

Sources

(6)
Mecklenburg County Public Health Fogo de Chão GlobeNewswire via Wedbush Charlotte Observer Narrative News The Pilot