It was founded in 1995, the first to be established in the United States,[3] by founder and president Ivan Utrera, a native Brazilian born in São Paulo.

The main feature of any churrascaria is the service of protein options, which are presented on 3-foot (0.91 m) long skewers in a continuous rotation, and which are carved at tableside by servers per guest preference.

[7] Rodizio Grill founder Ivan Utrera grew up in São Paulo, Brazil, where the traditional churrasco (barbeque) style of dining is common and popular.

There he supported himself as a janitor until earning a master's degree in Business Administration from Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Management in 1992.

[9] In 1995, Utrera left PepsiCo to develop his own restaurant, basing his concept on the traditional Brazilian churrascaria (steakhouse) model.