In a country like Brazil, where it is estimated that gastronomy businesses last, on average, 3.4 years, the Traditional Trading Company collects bars and restaurants of rare longevity. The Original, a classic-style bar, was the group’s first address, and since 1996 it has been one of the most sought-after addresses in Moema, São Paulo.
In the following years, establishments such as Pirajá, Bráz, Bráz Trattoria, Bráz Elettrica, Lanchonete da Cidade, Astor, SubAstor, ICI Brasserie and Câmara Fria were added to it – the latter, one of the newest in the group, has been around for eight years. It is quite an achievement.
Now, attention turns to the City Snack Bar which this year completes two decades of activity. “All the establishments opened by Cia Tradicional de Comércio have the characteristic of drinking from a source of affective memory, and with Lanchonete it was no different”, says Ricardo Garrido. He is one of the five partners of the company, which today is in charge of 52 addresses spread across São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and which employ more than 1,400 professionals – all controlled from a central office in the Baixo Pinheiros region, in the capital of São Paulo. “At the time, we realized that there were only very Americanized burger joints. We sought inspiration in classic São Paulo snack bars and the name was born with the concept.”
City Snack Bar and the pioneer store
The first location, a building with a long glass façade on Alameda Tietê, in Jardim Paulista, already had very Brazilian architectural references, such as columns covered in tiles, cobogó walls and shard floors. However, the big revolution was on the menu, with recipes full of creativity, some reverence for the classics and special attention to meat. “Alongside two or three other burger joints, we participated in the first major transformation in the way of eating hamburgers ”, guarantees Garrido. “Until then, the most traditional snack bars had a very standardized format, with fine meat and basic toppings.”
Thus, snacks were born that became emblematic, such as Bombom, with a thick, juicy meat served on round French bread and covered in a light, homemade tomato sauce – inspired by the very traditional Mr. Oswaldo’s Burger in Ipiranga. Even with the potatoes, the restaurant wanted to stray from the basics. The classic stick-cut fries were replaced by the rustic fries, hand-cut and served with rosemary and confit garlic. And, in addition to the hamburgers and their side dishes, the restaurant invested in dishes and other types of sandwiches, such as hot dogs and their famous milkshakes, which sell around 70 thousand units per year.
But not everything went as planned. For the first two years, the kitchen prepared the burgers on a charcoal grill. “It was something no one had done before,” explains Garrido. “The operation was a pain, because we had to refuel the grill in the middle of the day. And preparing burgers requires speed.” Another idea that was later abandoned was not to use any foreign words on the menu.We just wanted to be different !”
Since then, several trends have emerged and Lanchonete da Cidade has followed them all. It embraced the smash burger trend, with very thin, golden slices of meat, and included increasingly artisanal preparation methods. During the pandemic, it began to modernize its five units leaving aside the retro look to invest in projects that flirt with brutalism, all somewhat industrial, and always in tune with the region in which each one is located. “The brand needs to evolve with the city”, argues Garrido.
It was also during the pandemic that the group faced the challenge of working 100% on delivery. “We were prepared, but the demand was huge,” says the businessman, who even set up his own delivery service. “And bringing people back to the stores became another challenge, since now, for people to leave their homes, the experience on the street has to be worth it. So we have to offer a complete and increasingly better experience.”
All new again
Lanchonete da Cidade is not celebrating its 20th anniversary just by remodeling its stores. The menu has also been revamped to reflect a bit of the brand’s history. Some of the burgers from the early years have been brought back, such as the Supimpa, with caramelized onions and bacon crumbles, and the La Presse, which is pressed on the grill, all of which have been slightly recreated. The Bombom has gained a second version, called Bombom 20, and is made with a blend of 180 grams of Angus and Wagyu beef cuts plus black garlic paste, Gruyere cheese, grilled onion rings and rib broth. All of this is served on a bun sealed in bone marrow butter. “A burger is something that accepts inventiveness” says Garrido.
For him, the anniversary comes at a time when people are thinking about opening new stores. “Lanchonete da Cidade has a lot of room to expand.” Having opened before most of the burger joints that are currently competing for a place in the city’s sunshine, it needs to make a new revolution to stay ahead, in the words of Garrido himself. “We are always looking to improve what we already do. But now the idea is to take our products to other places.” There is no shortage of experience.
Service:
Gardens : Alameda Tietê, 110 – Jardim Paulista | Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday from 12pm to midnight and Friday and Saturday from 12pm to 1am.
Moema: Av. Macuco, 355 – Moema | Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday from 12pm to midnight and Friday and Saturday from 12pm to 1am.
Garden City Shopping Mall: Av. Magalhães de Castro, 12,000 – Cidade Jardim | Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 12pm to 11pm and Sunday from 12pm to 10pm.
Higienopolis: Av. Higienópolis, 618 – Santa Cecília | Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 12pm to 11pm and Sunday from 12pm to 10pm.
Pine trees: Rua Coropé, 51 – Pinheiros | Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from 12pm to 3pm and from 5pm to midnight, Friday and Saturday from 12pm to 1am and Sunday from 12pm to midnight.
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The post Lanchonete da Cidade: 450 thousand burgers and 72 tons of potatoes sold annually appeared first on CNN Brasil V&G.
Source: CNN Brasil
Johanna Foster is an expert opinion writer with over 7 years of experience. She has a reputation for delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles on a variety of subjects. Her work can be found on some of the top online news websites, and she is currently lending her voice to the world stock market.
