Fogo de Chão has signed a lease agreement to open its third New Jersey location. The new restaurant is slated to open early next year at Bridgewater Commons, a central New Jersey shopping, dining and entertainment destination at 400 Commons Way.
The restaurant located at Bridgewater Commons marks the third Fogo location in New Jersey, joining the recently opened restaurant in Paramus at Garden State Plaza, and an upcoming location in Wayne set to open at Willowbrook later this year.
The announcement supports the brand’s continued 15% annual restaurant growth across the U.S. 2023 has proven to be another strong year for Fogo, with 12 new domestic and international leases signed and recent openings in key markets.
“We are excited to expand our presence to central New Jersey and introduce the Fogo experience to the Bridgewater community,” Barry McGowan, CEO of Fogo de Chão said. “We look forward to welcoming guests to our new restaurant soon to discover the Culinary Art of Churrasco and the very best cuts that Brazil has to offer, right here in Bridgewater.”
Designed in partnership with global architecture and design agency Harrison, the Bridgewater restaurant will showcase Fogo’s recent brand transformation with enhanced design and innovation platforms in a setting that complements the local Bridgewater community.
The restaurant will feature an expansive dining room centered around an open-air churrasco grill, offering guests a view of gaucho chefs butchering, hand carving and grilling high-quality cuts of protein over an open flame. A white Carrera marble Market Table will be anchored at the front of the grill featuring seasonal salads, fresh superfoods, cured meats, antipasti and more.
In the new restaurant, engaging social gathering spaces will be layered throughout Bar Fogo and the dining room to further enhance the guest experience and ambiance by providing inviting, conversational areas to linger and enjoy All-Day Happy Hour. Dry-aged meat lockers for in-house aging will display indulgent cuts such as a 32 oz. Long-Bone Tomahawk Ribeye, aged for a minimum of 42 days for rich flavor.
Tom Kovacic, marketing and business development director at Bridgewater Commons, added: “We are very excited to add Fogo de Chão’s experiential dining atmosphere as yet another example of our growing concentration on high-quality food and beverage, as we continue to add the stores and experiences that resonate with central New Jersey. It’s especially gratifying as we celebrate our 35th anniversary and our new owners in Pacific Retail Capital Partners, and we’re looking forward to doing so together with Fogo de Chão.”
