Fogo de Chão, a restaurant chain which specialises in Brazilian cuisine, has adopted PolyAI’s voice technology to manage phone calls across its US operations.

Dubbed Selma, the new AI-powered voice assistant is named after the company’s matriarch and chief culture officer Selma Oliveira. Before deployment, her voice was recorded in English, Portuguese, and Spanish for the technology.

The system will answer calls made at all 88 Fogo de Chão locations in the US.

The rollout is aimed at reducing missed calls and eliminating long hold times, particularly during peak hours and after closing.

Before implementing PolyAI’s technology, the restaurant group reported losing guest calls due to heavy call traffic and out-of-hours enquiries.

Fogo de Chão CEO Barry McGown said: “Selma allows us to be there for our guests before they even walk through the door.

“She embodies the same warmth, care, and hospitality our teams bring to every table, and she'll never miss the opportunity to welcome you to Fogo.”

Selma is trained to answer frequently asked questions (FAQs), check table availability, make reservations through OpenTable, and enrol callers in the Fogo Rewards programme.

When calls require staff intervention, the system transfers them to the appropriate team member.

Over 12 months, Selma is projected to handle more than 250,000 reservations and support additional revenue generation.

PolyAI chief marketing officer Michelle Schroeder said: “Few brands live and breathe hospitality the way Fogo de Chão does.

“With Selma, they've shown that AI can deliver the level of care and connection their guests have come to expect — and drive remarkable business results at the same time.”

In July 2025, Fogo de Chão unveiled its plan to expand its presence in Oregon with a new location in Tigard.