After well over a year of anticipation, those awaiting the arrival of Brazilian steakhouse chain Fogo de Chão in downtown Vancouver will have to contend with visiting the restaurant elsewhere.
Announced in March 2023, Fogo de Chão was set to join the roster of exciting food and drink options at The Post at 658 Homer St, the development on the site of the former Vancouver main post office.
Fogo de Chão was set to take a whopping 7,778-square-foot restaurant space, joining the Loblaws City Market and other food and drink businesses.
However, signs for the restaurant have been removed from the building and there is no mention of Fogo de Chão on The Post's website.
On the Fogo de Chão website, the Vancouver location page is blank; the Toronto location page says the branch - which would be its first in Canada - is "coming soon."
V.I.A. reached out to QuadReal, the developer of The Post, in early July to ask about the status of the venture.
"We have no updates to share at this time," said a representative for The Post in an email.
At that same time, the same question posed to Fogo de Chão's press representative yielded no response whatsoever.
On Dec. 11, QuadReal confirmed via email the project is not happening.
"We are no longer proceeding with Fogo de Chão at The Post," they said.
V.I.A. has also reached out again to the media representatives for Fogo de Chão and has not received any response.
According to local food site Noms, Fogo de Chão stated in an email that the project has been cancelled.
In March 2023, Fogo de Chão said it was committed to bringing at least 10 locations to Canada over the next 10 years. The steakhouse chain has had a dominant presence in both its native Brazil as well as in the U.S. and currently operates locations in Mexico and the Middle East as well.
The Post has endured some challenges with its food retail spaces; in May, Joseph Richard Group principal Ryan Moreno told BIV the company had been released from its commitment to open an expansive food hall at the development, leaving the project - intended for a 26,000-square-foot space - in limbo.
Currently, The Post is preparing to welcome bubble tea chain Gong Cha, which will join Deville Coffee, a Lee's Donuts pop-up, Cookies by George, Starbucks, and Oakberry.
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