Restaurant owner emphasizes principles over mechanics

Steve Oldham fulfilled every returned missionary's dream: He brought the culture of his mission back home with him. Now, he is the CEO of Tucanos Brazilian Grill."Somebody had to do it," Oldham said.After serving a mission in Curitiba, Brazil, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Oldham received an accounting degree from Brigham Young University and eventually moved to Sao Paulo with his family to work. He started out working for Price Waterhouse Coopers but changed jobs to work for PepsiCo, an international food and beverage company that at one time operated restaurants.He's stayed in the restaurant business ever since."I never would have got here if it weren't for people in Brazil showing me what they do in their restaurants," Oldham said.Oldham returned to the United States after 18 months in Brazil. He and a friend left PepsiCo to found Rodizio Grill. Eventually, the restaurant shifted to "different operations" and Oldham left. He and another friend then opened the first Tucanos restaurant in Provo, Utah. After success there, he opened one in Albuquerque, N.M., and another recently in Salt Lake City.A full salad bar is available followed by all-you-can-eat Brazilian churrasco (grilled meats, seafood, vegetables and pineapple). Each customer's waiter will offer everything from top sirloin to chicken hearts. Some of the more unique meats found in Brazil may not be found at Tucanos."Whenever authentic conflicts with good, we always opt for good," Oldham said with a laugh.Customers have a cue with a red painted on one side and green painted on the other. With the green facing up, a carnivore's feast will mount on the plate. When the red tip is up, the barrage of different meats will cease, giving you time to eat before flipping the cue over for more.Inside the restaurant, there seem to be no angles — it's all swirls and curves with the purpose of attracting the "festive, Rio de Janeiro aspect of Brazil," Oldham said. While in Brazil on his mission, Oldham gained a "love of the culture," which he strives to highlight at Tucanos. He still visits Brazil — including a trip with his wife to the Curitiba temple dedication this summer — and finds ways to improve the restaurant."We've tried to create a fun and festive upscale atmosphere," Oldham said.The "fun and festive" aspects coupled with the upscale ambiance are how Oldham came to name the restaurant. "Tucano" in Portuguese means toucan, a bird with a formal black and white body coupled with a large, colorful beak. That is similar to what the restaurant offers — formality with color.As with the physical atmosphere, the interaction between customers and employees also plays a critical role in the restaurant's success. Oldham is an entrepreneur with a zeal for one-on-one interaction. He wants his employees to feel the same."Everything happens one meal at a time with one guest and one server, and every time it's gotta be right," Oldham said. "It comes down to an individual experience."He still carries around the first training manual he created when Tucanos kicked off. The small, well-worn pamphlet contains governing principles, a credo and fundamentals, some of which include being "honest, teachable, hard-working," and having "joy and happiness."Oldham does not do situational training with his employees, creating a standard that they would use for their every interaction in the restaurant. He wants them to take each situation individually."Always take the mechanics back to the principles," Oldham said. "As Joseph Smith said, 'Teach them correct principles and they govern themselves.'"One of Oldham's principles is stewardship, something he tries to instill in everyone from the managers to the servers."Stewardship is a unique principle," Oldham said. "It's ownership with accountability. (Others) may say ownership, but we want (our employees) to own it and be accountable."Oldham has plans for more Tucanos restaurants throughout the Mountain West.