"Now, onto the experience: I anticipated the usual, “Have you dined with us before?” from my waiter, but instead, I was immediately asked about my drink order. That was fine, but I thought an explanation of the dining process would follow after our drinks were served. Once we got our drinks and our toasting glasses, we found ourselves baffled as meat skewers began circulating around our table while my husband and I were left sitting there, unsure of what to do. I didn’t expect to have to ask for instructions in a restaurant like Fogo de Chão.
We didn’t see our waiter often, and I even had to call the hostess to bring him over just to get our check. I understand it was a busy New Year's celebration, and the staff was likely caught up with other tables, but I could count on one hand the number of times the waiter approached us without prompting. When he finally returned to our table, he simply asked, “Last call, what do y’all want?” That phrase was so off-putting that at that point we only wanted the check.
Additionally, we were seated at a table right near the kitchen, which created a very cramped atmosphere. My husband was bumped into by staff and other diners throughout the evening. I was surprised to discover that there were empty tables just around the corner when I went to use the restroom at the start of our reservation."
