RIO Brazilian Steakhouse, known for its award-winning dining experience, will open its seventh venue in York, taking over the former Piccolino site on Bridge Street. The restaurant offers non-stop meats and an unlimited gourmet salad bar, along with traditional Brazilian sides and cocktails. RIO has gained popularity quickly, securing the top spot on TripAdvisor in just three weeks after opening in Chester.
RIO Brazilian Steakhouse will open its newest venue in York at the former Piccolino site at 18 Bridge Street on Saturday 16th September, after an exclusive VIP launch on Friday 15th September.
Founded in Jesmond in November 2019, RIO adds a seventh site in York to its current locations in Jesmond, Newcastle’s Quayside, Middlesbrough, Durham City Centre, Warrington and Chester.
RIO is an award-winning steakhouse with a set price concept of non-stop meats and an unlimited gourmet salad bar with over 35 items to choose from. The dining experience also boasts authentic Brazilian sides like Feijoada and traditional Brazilian cocktails.
After reaching number one on TripAdvisor in Chester just three weeks after opening and announcing the group’s plans to open another restaurant in York, RIO was inundated with applications for jobs at the new site.
Co-owner Rodrigo Grassi said: “It was a nice surprise to see how many applications we received and how many people already knew about us. We work hard to train and look after our staff, maintaining the high standards of customer service the RIO brand is renowned for – now we are seeing this positive reputation creating an impact even before we’ve arrived in a new city.
“We have found the RIO opening model to work well with our team, they are well oiled at new openings which maintains high levels of customer satisfaction and service. The proof is in the awards and positions on TripAdvisor – every venue we have launched has secured the top spot in just four weeks – it’s an amazing achievement by all the team.
“The response we had from Chester was huge, much bigger than we originally thought, so as a group it was a good decision to rebrand from Tomahawk to RIO. In that respect we are fortunate as a group to have the facility where if one brand isn’t performing as well as first anticipated, we can flip it into the other in quick time.”
As for future prospects we are still in negotiations with landlords in a number of locations to open more RIO sites. Some are further down the line than others with some being held up due to red tape, but we expect to roll out at least another four RIOs in 2024, with the aim to do more.”
RIO BRAZILIAN STEAKHOUSE is part of the Tomahawk Steakhouse Group, owned by co- founders Rodrigo Grassi and Howard Eggleston. RIO has traded strongly in 21/22 and continues to see growth even in tough times.
The group is continually looking for new sites and open to discussions with landlords, VC and M&A groups for further expansion of the brand, with new sites under negotiation for opening in 2024.
To book a table visit www.rio-steakhouse.co.uk/york
