10 Rules To Know Before Visiting Fogo De Chão

Fogo de Chão likes to do things a little differently. This Brazilian churrascaria, or steakhouse, is known both for its exemplary selection of freshly-cooked Brazilian steakhouse meats and the unique way that they're presented, with its servers (or gauchos) parading through the dining hall with chunks of beef, pork, and chicken piled high on skewers. Fogo de Chão has been honing this specific service style since 1979, and by now it's perfected the combination of all-you-can-eat meat and flair that's made it so famous.

However, because dining at Fogo de Chão feels so distinct from eating anywhere else, it can also sometimes be a little bit daunting. What do you need to know about the difference between all of the various experiences it offers? How do you keep the meat coming, or stop it when you can't eat anymore? Plus, what's the etiquette around ordering and tipping? It all feels like a minefield, but the truth is that by mastering a few simple rules before you visit the restaurant, you can make sure that your trip is as smooth and stress-free as possible. Ready to master the art of eating at a Brazilian steakhouse? We've got you covered.

Fogo de Chão stands apart from regular all-you-can-eat buffets in some ways, but it's similar to them in others. Like some buffets, the steakhouse offers several different levels of dining, and by spending more, you gain access to premium food options that can amp up your experience. Fogo's flagship and most comprehensive offer is its Full Churrasco Experience, which gives you access to all of its classic and premium protein options, as well as its side dishes, its Market Table, and its Feijoada Bar. You can also choose to elevate your Full Churrasco Experience by choosing from several enhancements, like lobster mac and cheese or black truffle butter.

If, however, you want to keep things a little lighter, then you can choose to eat solely from the Market Table. This gives you access to a host of seasonal dishes and foods, but it won't give you the same amount of protein options. Fogo also offers a Gaucho Lunch option, which combines some meat options with the Market Table and Feijoada Bar. The most important thing to remember is that the Full Churrasco Experience is a lot of food and therefore its priciest option, and one of the other two dining options may well work better for you. Don't be tempted into the biggest option just because it's there.

Fogo de Chão's known for its churrascaria style, but a lot of people don't know that's only one part of the equation. In fact, a lot of your meal at Fogo may have a similar feel to eating at other restaurants, and being aware of this (and of when this is the case) will save you a lot of confusion when you arrive. It's important to remember that the churrascaria section is, in essence, your main course. When it comes to your starters and your desserts, these can be ordered directly from the menu to your table, and they can be used to bookend the buffet-style portion of the meal, creating moments of a more traditional dining experience.

If you want, you can also order à la carte meats to your table, with sharing options like wagyu porterhouse or dry-aged tomahawk steak. As you might expect, these fancy options are pretty pricey, but they're a great way to customize your meal even further. They can also be a good choice if you're just going for the Market Table, which gives you access to a load of fresh sides, but not much meat. Crucially, though, you might not need or want any of these options: If you go for the Churrasco Experience, you can build your own starter plate from the Market Table and Feijoada Bar, and finish your meal with some fresh fruit.

Arguably, the most important rule you'll need when dining at Fogo de Chão is the one that dictates the flow of food coming to your table. When you sit down, you will be given a circular, two-sided card with one green side and one red side. If you leave the card green-side up, it signals to the gauchos carrying the meat around the dining room that you want them to come to your table. If, however, you put it red-side up, it indicates that you don't wish anyone to come over.

Although this is a simple concept, it's way easier to mess up than you might think. Get too into the flow of conversation, and you may well forget to change your card from red-side up, and then you're left wondering why nobody's coming over. The latter can also be true, and you can end up being constantly interrupted by well-meaning servers while you're trying to chat. It's also strangely easy to forget to use these cards at all, and you're subsequently left bombarded with food, ending up overeating. So, keep a close eye on which side is pointing up, and when you need a breather, flip it to red. Your stomach will thank you.

Like a lot of other chain restaurants, Fogo de Chão doesn't require you to dress up to the nines to eat there. However, you might want to avoid wearing sandals and shorts. Fogo de Chão specifies on its website that while it doesn't have a formal dress code, it does prefer it when its guests dress in smart casual wear. Jeans or slacks are appropriate here, and while you don't have to wear dress shoes, some nice sneakers wouldn't go amiss.

The biggest clue to how you should dress is in the vibe of the dining hall itself. Fogo has a smart, slightly upmarket vibe, which is reflected in the price you pay for its food. While it's not fussy, it's definitely not a fast food joint. Having said all this, you need to think about practicality as well as presentation. There's going to be a lot of food flying around when you're there, and the last thing you want is to feel restricted when you're trying to enjoy your meal. Stretchy waistbands or slightly looser tops will make you much more comfortable.

One of the biggest rules that you should follow at Fogo de Chão is also one of the biggest mistakes people make when dining there. There's a grand total of 18 different meat entrée options available at this restaurant, and that's before you get into the sliced meats at the Market Table. Most of these meats will be passing by your table on a fairly regular basis: It's all part of the rodizio style that Fogo de Chão operates with, with the word literally translating to "rotation" and referring to the conveyor belt of dishes walking your way.

This bountiful display of meat may be tempting, but you really do have to avoid piling up your plate with the first few things that come your way. It's very easy to forget the sheer breadth of selection at Fogo de Chão, and to jump into your meal too quickly, only to then be too full to sample everything on offer. Additionally, those first meats might not give you the best value for money or the most adventurous options: Why fill up on chicken thighs when you could try picanha or fraldinha? Instead, scope things out before diving in, and make sure you wait for the items you really want.

Like any all-you-can-eat experience, Fogo de Chão is a place where you'll have a lot of different items on your plate at any given moment. That variety is part of the fun, but over time, it can start to interfere with your meal. As you continue to pile foods on, the residue from each can flavor the subsequent bites, and your meal will end up tasting a little muddy and weird.

That's why you should always get a clean plate once you're finished with your last piece of food. This can be difficult to do sometimes, as you might be swallowing your final bite of meat while another new, delicious option arrives at your table, but resist the temptation if you can. Head up to the Market Table and grab a fresh plate. Not only will your food taste better, but doing this is also an important buffet hygiene rule. Alternatively, you can ask one of the servers if they can get you a new one, and take away the old plate while they're at it, and they'll usually happily oblige. It can also be a good idea to grab several plates from the Market Table and use one for meat and another for your sides, so that you're keeping hot and cold dishes separate.

In any restaurant setting, consideration of allergies is a serious matter. In all-you-can-eat joints like Fogo de Chão, it's arguably even more so. Like all modern restaurants, Fogo is good at catering to people with various dietary requirements, but it can also sneak in potential allergens where you might not expect them. Those with soy allergies may be particularly at risk, and while Fogo de Chão works hard to ensure that there's enough on offer to accommodate people, some of its meat dishes may well contain this allergen.

The good news is that Fogo de Chão is also set up for people who have diverse dietary requirements, and it offers a pretty impressive range of gluten-free options for its diners. Although it serves fish and seafood, it also specifies that it's entirely safe for people with either of these allergies to dine there. However, the key thing to do is to consult with your server or the manager of the restaurant before starting your meal, and to let them know of any allergies you have. They can then advise you on which dishes to eat and which should be avoided, and they can let the other members of staff know too.

Ah, Fogo de Chão, the restaurant where the food doesn't stop until you're completely defeated. In this palace of endless meat, it's very easy to keep pushing forward, trying just one more bite until you finally put down your fork for good. This can also mean, however, that as the evening goes on, more and more food ends up on your plate, and you suddenly find yourself with a mound of delicious grub in front of you that you can't eat.

Where do you think that food goes? In the trash. Food waste in restaurants is no joke, and around $25 billion is lost yearly to uneaten meals. In places like Fogo de Chão, waste is potentially even more likely, as it's not the kind of restaurant that portions its meals out in the kitchen. The only person who can really help with this waste is the customer, by being conscious of the fact that they may have more food on their plate than they actually need (or want). The best way to avoid this is by taking things slowly and pacing yourself, so that you don't overload your plate and end up having to throw things away.

Unlike a traditional buffet, where you can simply stroll up to the dish you want and grab yourself a portion, at Fogo de Chão, you're a slightly captive audience. Sure, you can take what you like from the Market Table, but when it comes to the meat, you have to wait for it to come your way. Sometimes, you have to wait a long time. Although the gauchos at Fogo are pretty good at spreading out the different options and working the room so that everyone gets a taste of everything, you may well find that a few cuts entirely elude you, and you come away not feeling as though you've got your money's worth.

There's no harm in asking, people. If you're desperate to try a certain type of meat, ask a gaucho to request that the person who's serving it come to your table. You can also ask them to come back another time, if they arrive by your side with some delicious food, but you just don't have the stomach room to sample it yet. You'll probably also have more luck with meat selection when it's slightly busier. Although that sounds counterintuitive, the busier the place is, the more likely all of the best options will be on constant rotation, as the kitchen will be pumping stuff out to accommodate demand.

The practice of tipping restaurant workers has some pretty complicated origins, and it can remain confusing to this day, especially at all-you-can-eat restaurants. How much do you put down if you've largely served yourself, and who does it go to? Well, at Fogo de Chão, the answer is that you should tip the standard amount, and that it's given to all of them. You'll have a primary server at Fogo de Chão, but the reality is, you'll be interacting with a lot of different people during your meal. The entire team is working nonstop to rotate meat around the room and to keep your experience as stress-free and enjoyable as possible.

So, don't be tempted to cheap out just because you haven't had a hands-on experience with one server. Your tip is a reflection of everyone's work, and if you think about the number of steps that each worker is taking, you'll quickly see why it's valued. If you're in any doubt about who to give the tip to, just leave it on the table, and it'll be distributed accordingly.