Fazenda hits Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham next
Our two Hospitable Cities Special Features put a number of thriving areas in the spotlight, highlighting the various improvements in their hotel, restaurant and pub offerings. And Fazenda seems to have taken note: It opened its first venue in Leeds two years ago, and now has national expansion plans following a £2m investment from the business’s owners City District.
A new, 8,240 sq.ft restaurant will open at Exchange Flags in the heart of Liverpool’s business district in October, offering the brands signature table-side service in the South American ‘rodizio’ tradition - a customer pays a fixed price and the waiters bring samples of food to them at several times throughout the meal.
Fazenda’s founders, Argentinian duo Robert Melman and Tomas Maunier, made the decision to expand into the burgeoning North West city after spotting a gap in the market for a high-end Brazilian restaurant.
Thriving food scene
Maunier, who worked in marketing before moving into restaurants, said: “Liverpool offers three things that are attractive to restaurateurs considering opening a venture in the city; a booming night-time economy, a significant volume of tourists and a people with a passion for eating out.
Melman, who has worked in the food industry for more than 15 years, added: “There’s a thriving food and drinks scene in Liverpool, and while there are some Brazilian-style restaurants here already, there is no-one who offers the same sort of high-end, tailored experience as Fazenda.
“Liverpool food-lovers are discerning, and we’re confident that gaucho-style dining is going to be a huge hit in the city.”
Green card service
Fazenda Liverpool will have seating capacity for 190, as well as a bar area with a capacity of 60 and an external area for 50. It will serve 15 different cuts of meat including fillet, sirloin and rib eye, as well as pork, lamb and chicken.
Customers control their own service, and use a green card to indicate when they would like the chefs to bring a new selection of meats to the table. Meat will be cooked ‘gaucho’ style, with large pieces of meat cooked over a Brazilian grill.
City District, which is owned by Robert Melman, Jonathan Drake and Huddersfield-based LLB Investments, is also planning future openings in Manchester and Birmingham, but no further sites have been acquired as yet.
Spotlight on Liverpool
Last week, BigHospitality revealed that Paul Askew, chef director of London Carriage Works and the Hope Street Hotel in Liverpool, is planning to open a smaller fine-dining restaurant in the city.
For years, the city was viewed from afar as the second-best in the North West, never mind being a destination in its own right. But in the last few years it has risen like a Liver bird from the flames due in part to its burgeoning hospitality scene. Read more about the rise of the Liverpool's dining options in our ‘Spotlight on Liverpool’ Special Feature.
