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Is Brazilian BBQ a Good Option for Large Groups?
If you’ve ever tried to get a large group together and find something to eat, you know it can be a pretty big hassle. Finding a place that suits the tastes of everyone is already hard enough, but it’s distressingly common to find that the place you’ve chosen doesn’t have space or tables to suit the group, or the wait time for enough space to clear up is huge.
We’re here to tell you that, at Texas de Brazil, we welcome large groups. There are a few things you should know, but we’ll make sure you have the best possible time, and we’re sure you’ll love the food.
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Is Brazilian BBQ Good for Large Parties?
Yes!
Brazilian barbecue, also known as churrasco, is excellent for large parties and gatherings. In fact, that’s half the reason it was invented in the first place! It’s a great way to serve large cuts and large amounts of meat to large groups of people. Brazilian BBQ is a tradition for parties and gatherings today, and has been for hundreds of years.
There are a lot of great reasons why Brazilian barbecue is great for large groups.
The usual pre-meal delay is cut almost to nothing.
One of the main reasons to go to a restaurant for Brazilian barbecue, whether you’re going it alone, with a family, or with a large group, is that there’s barely any delay before you get to your meal.
With a traditional restaurant, your party sits down, and everyone waits while a server goes around and takes all of their orders. People take time to decide, get stalled making decisions, and change their minds. It’s a limited opportunity, right? When you’re ordering off a menu, you’re really just getting one thing.
When churrasco, especially rodizio-style churrasco like what you get at a Brazilian steakhouse, there’s none of that. Everyone sits down, and within minutes, the meat is already flowing. People who want salads or sides first are free to head to the salad area, while those who want to get right to the meat are ready to receive it immediately.
With a traditional restaurant, it can be 30-60 minutes before everyone’s eating. With a Brazilian barbecue, you can enjoy your meal before drinks even arrive, if you want.
There is a wide variety of meats on offer.
To ride on something we just mentioned, at a traditional restaurant, you’re usually only getting one or two different food items, plus a couple of basic sides. If you order a steak, you get one piece of meat, cooked one way, with one sauce or marinade, and maybe a bowl of coleslaw, a pile of fries, or a salad.
There’s nothing wrong with that!
But when you visit a Brazilian steakhouse, you have a whole list of meats available to you. Want a couple of parmesan drumettes to start you off? Go for it! Want to get a cut of some flank steak, a slice of delectable picanha, and a bacon-wrapped bit of filet? You’ve got it. Want to go to town on some ribs, asking for more every time they come by? That’s perfectly valid.
This is perfect for people who want to try a little bit of everything. You know who they are; the people who jealously look over everyone else’s meal to talk about how good it looks, how they wish they got that, hoping you’ll offer them a bite? Well, no need; they can get it right from the gaucho when they pass by!
It’s also perfect for anyone who wants a little variety, but still wants to focus on one or two items. While there’s technically a limit on what you can take – it’s disrespectful to other diners to empty a skewer when they haven’t had a chance at it – more meats will come back around.
There are a ton of alternative foods for the meat-averse.
While the meat is definitely the star of the show when it comes to Brazilian barbecue, the hot bar, the salad area, and even the drinks are all yours for exploration as well. Want to throw together a salad or make your own Brazilian-themed charcuterie plate? There are dozens of options for you to try. Prefer to sip a delicious soup and have a couple of sides? That’s fine too!
And, just like the meats, it’s all there for you to try. You don’t have to just order one soup or one salad and hope it suits your tastes; you’re free to try a little of anything and everything, and take as much as you want. Within reason, of course (wouldn’t want to waste food, after all).
The single-price continuous dining model makes splitting the bill easy.
Anyone who has ever gone out to eat with a large group knows that managing the bill can be a tedious task. Figuring out who had what, making sure all the groups are adequately determined, assigning drinks to the right seats, and more; it’s a lot of work with a lot of room for error.
Sure, skilled servers are going to get it right, more often than not. Mistakes can happen, though, and even if they don’t, it can still be a lengthy hassle.
One of the brilliant parts of the Brazilian barbecue experience is that, due to the continuous dining model, there’s essentially one price for everyone.
- Anyone dining on the full menu pays one price.
- Anyone skipping the meat and enjoying the salad area and hot items has a second, smaller price.
- Drinks and desserts are extra.
That’s it! Keeping track of who ordered what is infinitely easier when everyone is on more or less the same pricing. You skip all of the hassle of figuring out subdivided bills and unequal pricing for different items.
The unique experience of a Rodizio restaurant is worth it.
Rodizio is an interesting method of dining that has been around in Brazil for decades now, but is very new to the United States. Many people across the country have never experienced it, and we think that’s a shame.
Fortunately, the whole experience is enjoyable without being difficult to understand, and it shouldn’t put anyone on edge, even those who are nervous about the unfamiliar. Rodizio is very simple to understand, and a fun time for everyone.
How to Enjoy Brazilian BBQ with a Large Group
Convinced? Let’s talk about the things you should know before you decide to head out to your nearest Brazilian steakhouse for a group meal.
Plan ahead and make a reservation.
Normally, we don’t require reservations for our restaurants. We’re popular, but we’re not often booked all the way up except on the busiest days during the busiest times (though, of course, your mileage may vary depending on where you are). Sometimes you might have to wait for a table to clear out, but often we can find you a place right away.
That’s for individuals and small groups, though. For large groups, we ask that you call ahead to make a reservation. It’s a lot harder (and takes a lot longer) to get space for 10+ people than it is for just 3-4. If you don’t want to wait for an hour or more for enough space to open up, we highly recommend making that reservation.
Fortunately, it’s extremely easy to make that reservation. You can visit our online page to book for your nearest location on a date and at a time of your choosing. You can also just call us if you prefer.
If you want a private space, a semi-private space, or you have a party of over 15 people, we also offer large group dining areas available on reservation only. You’ll need to ask about hosting an event, if that’s what you want to do.
Explain how Rodizio works to anyone who doesn’t know.
Rodizio is, as we mentioned, very simple to explain, but endlessly interesting to experience.
This article goes into detail, but to give you a summary:
- Once you’re seated, you’re given a card; red on one side, green on the other.
- If you want more meat of any kind, flip your card to green, and a gaucho will stop by when they see it.
- If you don’t want more meat for the moment, flip it to red, and they’ll pass you by so you can eat in peace.
- There are no limits, and you can flip it back at any time.
- You don’t need to use the card to get items from the salad area or hot bar.
- Drinks and desserts can be ordered at any time.
That’s it! While it might seem complex compared to putting in an order and waiting for food, it’s really not that tricky, and you’ll get the hang of it right away.
Make sure to leave enough time for everyone to enjoy their meals.
One of the challenges of bringing a large group out to a restaurant for a meal is how long everything takes, and it’s not just about waiting for orders or food. People in large groups socialize more and have more fun, and that means they tend to eat more slowly.
There’s nothing wrong with that, obviously. In fact, since access to food begins immediately at a Brazilian barbecue, you cut out a lot of the delay and can get through a meal more quickly. On the other hand, though, Brazilian barbecue’s rodizio style means the items you want might not be readily available, and if you want more of a given item, you may have to ask for it or wait for the next time it comes around.
So, make sure to leave enough time for your meal! We wrote a whole dive into how long it usually takes to enjoy a Brazilian barbecue meal, and certainly, a large party might take longer, so make sure you’re not arriving an hour before closing time and hoping for a leisurely experience.
Can You Host a Brazilian BBQ Party At Home?
Certainly! There are two main ways you can do this, if you want.
The first is to fire up a grill and make your own churrasco. We have several blog posts about cooking churrasco at home, complete with a rundown of the meats, spices, tools, and grills you’ll want to consider for a dinner party.
As with any backyard barbecue, the downside to this method is that someone, or multiple someones, will have to be managing a grill while everyone else eats. That might not be a problem, sure, but it’s something to be aware of before you plan it all out.
We’re also more than happy to help out with your backyard barbecue in the ways we can. In addition to the resources and recipes here on our blog, you can visit our à la carte butcher shop to order the meats you can’t find locally, in particular our picanha and Brazilian sausage, both of which are unlikely to be available in your average grocery store or meat market. Similarly, if you want our spicy rub or even just a gaucho knife to make your barbecue more authentic, you can find those in our market.
What if you don’t have the space to grill up meat for a large party, or you don’t want to spend the time doing it yourself? If that’s the case, we have a great option for you here as well: catering!
You do lose out a bit of the experience of Brazilian barbecue when you order catering, since we aren’t cooking it over a grill right there for you, and there are no gauchos bringing it to your table, but if you’re just in it for the meats and sides, catering is definitely the way to go.
Either way, it all starts with getting your closest friends together, deciding you want to experience Brazilian barbecue, and picking the best way to do it. Whether it’s stopping in at your closest Brazilian steakhouse or buying the meats to make it yourself, we’re here to help in any way we can.
