When he stepped off the plane onto U.S. soil with the tropical warmth of his São Paulo hometown at his back and the turbulent journey of graduate school ahead of him, Ivan Utrera did not yet dream that he would one day introduce his new country to the Brazilian churrasco dining experience.
He did not imagine that he would one day invite diners across the U.S. to come try unlimited grilled steak, chicken, pork, fish, and pineapple carved at their table by Gauchos carrying two-foot-long skewers of meat, all at the flip of a red/green table cue.
And he did not, at that time, imagine how much Americans would love and embrace Brazilian cuisine.
With only a few dollars in his pocket and bread and honey in his cupboard, Ivan worked his way through graduate school cleaning, shoveling snow, doing any work he could find until he secured a creative marketing position with Bonneville Communications. Afterward, Ivan dove into the hospitality industry by accepting a position through PepsiCo as an international marketing director for Pizza Hut, supervising the Latin America market. He was successful in this space and learned a great deal that would forever shape his approach to business. However, something in him began to stir with an idea. This idea would grow into a plan and would garner him the shocked warnings of well-meaning colleagues who could not imagine why someone in his position would walk away in favor of starting his own restaurant.
Given the tenuous success rates of new restaurant concepts, this was a risk indeed. His early investors included his mother and uncle, still living in Brazil, who provided not only seed money but family recipes to help develop an authentically Brazilian menu. Through trial and error and fortuitous mistakes, America’s first Brazilian steakhouse came into being with an iconic presentation of over a dozen grilled meats, myriad salads and hot sides, limeade blended from real limes in the Brazilian style, and homemade desserts — all to translate a genuine Brazilian experience for American families.
Rodizio Grill was the first of its kind.
It turned out that Americans were eager to embrace traditional churrasco. After its founding in 1995, it took the new restaurant only two years to start attracting big attention and big awards. In 1997, Rodizio Grill was honored by “Premio Marketing” and hosted the Denver Broncos. In 1999, Nations Restaurant News awarded Rodizio Grill the “Hot Concept award”. Rodizio Grill was recognized in articles from USA Today, Washington Post, Denver Post, and many more. In 2002, Rodizio Grill in Salt Lake City fed many of the US Olympic Team athletes throughout the season. The restaurant brand was well-received among diners from the very beginning. Americans loved being able to eat as much meat as they craved. They gravitated to the minimally-seasoned-but-powerfully-flavorful simplicity of Brazilian grilling.
Now, 30 years later, it’s clear that Ivan’s bold decision has paid off. From the first doors opened in Colorado to the latest trio of new franchise units under construction in Florida and Arizona, the authentic Brazilian steakhouse chain has over 25 locations across the country. Ivan’s vision of brining the flavors of Brazil to the U.S. has grown far beyond his wildest dreams. Rodizio Grill corporate stores and franchise locations dot the map from coast to coast. Other churrascarias have cropped up to tap into America’s love of Brazilian dining, following the path that Rodizio carved. These competitors have pushed the Rodizio Grill brand to become even stronger.
Today, Rodizio Grill serves over 1.5 million diners per year across fourteen states and employs more than 1,300 people. Rodizio occupies a place among the Franchise Times Top 400 businesses with consistent growth year over year. Brazilian names for cuts of steak have become so familiar to American diners that one can even find cuts of “Picanha/Top Sirloin” in popular grocery store chains across the country. The Brazilian pão de queijo, or iconic little cheese bread, populates tables in restaurants and homes of American families. By bringing Brazilian churrasco to the U.S., Rodizio Grill helped introduce awareness of a uniquely wonderful dining style that expands across markets today and keeps growing.
Ivan remains at the head of the company as Founder and CEO, carefully protecting his vision for a restaurant that truly conveys the Brazilian experience as authentic, approachable, affordable, and memorable. When Ivan began to franchise, starting in Fort Collins, CO, he knew he wanted to bring that feeling of warmth and family connection to all new Rodizio owners. He has maintained a web of close support and camaraderie between his franchisees, treating every conference as a chance to connect and develop relationships on a meaningful level. Ivan wants his franchisees to feel part of the larger mission of Rodizio. To this end, he has taken them to Brazil to experience the spirit of the culture, to Portugal to understand the roots of that culture, has hosted them at his own family cabin to encourage relaxed friendship-building, and has built up a network of corporate support systems to ensure each franchisee has every resource to be successful.
Brazil is a culture that values relationships, joy, celebration, and memory. Rodizio Grill is more than a restaurant in that regard. It invites each guest to participate in that tradition by celebrating their special moments with a menu concept that really is unique and highly personal. The company’s mission statement reads: “As Ambassadors of Brazil We Welcome You To Our Home And Invite you To Celebrate With Us The Warmth, Alegria and Abundance Of Rodizio Grill’s Authentic Brazilian Dining Experience.” After 30 years, Rodizio Grill remains committed to everything promised in that statement,
Though that young student arriving in the U.S. with dreams of starting his own business could not have known the rewarding journey that lay ahead, what he began bridges two vibrant cultures and has had a ripple effect farther than what he could have imagined.
Are you the next Rodizio Grill Owner?
Rodizio Grill continues to grow! Rodizio is actively expanding into new markets and bringing authentic churrasco to hungry diners in new cities. New franchise opportunities are available for those interested in joining the vibrant, evolving culture of the company. Become a new go-to choice for celebrations and special occasions in your community, and join Rodizio Grill’s close-knit family of owners.
For inquiries and information, please visit Rodizio.com/franchising.