Fogo de Chão CEO Barry McGowan on building one of America’s favorite chains

Take-Away with Sam Oches

Nation's Restaurant News

Business, Entrepreneurship

2.5 • 15 Ratings

🗓️ 28 January 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Barry McGowan, CEO of Fogo de Chão, a Brazilian steakhouse chain that has grown to more than 100 locations globally, including 80 in the U.S. The brand specializes in churrasco, or high-quality, fire-roasted meats, and it’s using its quality positioning in the full-service space to build incredible momentum — including being named one of America’s Favorite Chains from NRN and Technomic. Barry is a 40-year veteran of the restaurant industry and has spent the past 12 years at Fogo building systems that have helped it become a favorite among younger consumers in particular. He joined the podcast to talk about why Fogo resonates so much today among American consumers and why it’s perfectly tailored for the restaurant industry of the future.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

The full-service category is ripe for more customization
Quality does not always require complexity
Younger consumers want authenticity, discovery, and value
The systems that support a long-lasting brand can take a while to build
Culture is the first building block toward brand longevity
The restaurant revolution is as much powered by brick and mortar as by technology

Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there, welcome to Takeaway with Sam Okas, a podcast from Nation's Restaurant News.
0:05.0	I'm Sam Okas, editor-in-chief at NRN, and this is the show where I give you an all-access pass
0:10.1	to the restaurant industry's most influential decision-makers.
0:13.7	This week, I'm talking with Barry McGowan, the CEO of Fogo de Show, a Brazilian
0:19.1	steakhouse chain that has grown to more than 100 locations globally,
0:23.9	including 80 in the U.S. The brand specializes in Charasco or high-quality fire-roasted meats,
0:31.4	and it's using its quality position in the full-service space to build incredible momentum.
0:37.4	That includes 10 new locations in the U.S. last year and another 10 to 12 planned for 2025.
0:45.4	And the growth is certainly merited.
0:47.6	I was excited to share with Barry live on the podcast that Fogode show just made the list of America's favorite chains, a Technomic Report
0:55.8	published in NRN's January issue, and Fogo was the number one full-service brand among
1:02.0	Gen Z consumers.
1:04.2	Barry is a 40-year veteran of the restaurant industry, and he has spent the past 12 years
1:08.6	at Fogo building systems that have helped it become a
1:12.2	favorite among younger consumers in particular.
1:15.1	He joined the podcast to talk about why Fogo resonates so much today among American consumers
1:20.5	and why it's perfectly tailored for the restaurant industry of the future.
1:25.5	In this interview, you will learn more about why the full service category
1:28.7	is ripe for more customization, how younger consumers want authenticity, discovery, and value,
1:35.8	and why culture is the first building block toward brand longevity. Jumping now into my
1:41.2	interview with Fogaday shows, Barry McGowan. Also, don't forget to stick around after the interview, as I will share my six takeaways from this discussion, actionable insights that you can take with you on the go.
1:55.4	Okay, I'm sitting down with Barry McGowan, the CEO of Fogodea Show.
	...

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