[UPDATE] Chama Gaucha in Buckhead Has Closed Permanently

Chama Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse has made their Buckhead outpost closure permanent.  The restaurant, located at Tower Place along Piedmont Road in Buckhead, had been "temporarily closed" since March, with reported plans to reopen "in the fall."  As months passed, that reopening seemed less and less likely.  A ToNeTo Atlanta reader alerted us Sunday to the restaurant's website which has been updated to reflect the Atlanta closure is now permanent.  "We regret to inform you that Chama Gaucha Atlanta is permanently closed." reads a pop-up on the Chama Gaucha website.   

When Chama Gaucha opened in April 2015 in Buckhead, it hoped to siphon some business from neighboring Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chao, and for several years it was able to hold on.  According to sources with knowledge of the restaurant's performance, it never did incredibly well, but performed well enough to keep going.  COVID-19 and the subsequent closure of restaurants and limits on capacity coupled with a significant decrease in both hotel occupancy and increase in work from home orders, were what eventually did the restaurant in.     

A Chama Gaucha location in the company's home market of Houston, Texas remains open as does another in San Antonio.  A third location in Chicago is "closed until further notice," but unlike the Atlanta outpost, is still listed as an "active" tab on the restaurant's main website.  

The 13,000 square foot Chama Gaucha Atlanta space would be a tremendous undertaking for any restaurateur - local, chain or otherwise - but it does feature "in your face" street visibility and a large patio with bar access.  When Chama Gaucha opened it replaced the short-lived Modern which itself replaced Copeland's.  The shops at Tower Place also includes fellow restaurants Twin Peaks, Farm Burger and Ru San's.  

The restaurant industry has experienced 100,000 closures tied to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a September survey from the National Restaurant Association.  With temperatures falling and patios become less viable and multiple large cities reintroducing restaurant restrictions, we could soon see an "extinction level event" for restaurants, predicts restaurateur and celebrity chef Tom Colicchio.

What is your favorite steakhouse in Buckhead?  What would you like to see open in place of Chama Gaucha?  When was the last time you dined in a restaurant?

Please share your thoughts below