October 26, 2015
Restaurant chain from Brazil opens in Boca Raton
A family with a half dozen upscale restaurants in Brazil is investing in South Florida for its
international expansion. The Little Chalet's first U.S. restaurant opened this month at 485 S. Federal Highway in Boca Raton, where it serves fondue, prime steak and seafood.
Owner Ricky Marcellini said his dream had been to come to the U.S. After several trips scouting areas, he picked South Florida, lured by its proximity to his native country. He flies back to Brazil once a month to oversee operations at restaurants there.
"We want to create an experience here where you feel like you are home, where it's warm,"
Marcellini said last week at the Boca Raton restaurant before it opened for dinner. In the few
weeks the restaurant has been in business, the average check per person, including wine, comes to about $75.
The restaurant offers a dimly llit, 4,400 squarefoot space with cobblestone floors, brick walls and an assortment of bird cages, flower pots, cuckoo clocks and other quaint décor. The family owned and operated restaurant business started in 1979, led by Marcellini's father,
Antonio. Ricky Marcellini was 17 and planned to go to college in the U.S. when his dad asked
whether he wanted to become part of the business in Brazil. Marcellini then started doing
marketing and ultimately supervising operations for the company.
Now a Boca Raton resident — one who occasionally Googles words from Portuguese to English —he said he plans to increase the company's presence in the U.S. "I didn't come to open just one restaurant," Marcellini, 36, said. His task now is persuading new hires to commit to the company. "We want them to be part of our team, part of our growth," he said.
Brazilian companies have been increasingly expanding to South Florida, including Banco do
Brasil and restaurant chain Giraffas. The BrazilianAmerican
Chamber of Commerce of Florida, which started in 1981 in response to a growing number of Brazilian businesses in South Florida, estimates it now has more than 300 members — from multinational companies to individuals involved in Brazil-U.S. relations.
Source: SunSentinel
