From Tuk-Tuk Tours to Traditional Cuisine Before Mr. Bifana, Fernando’s path wound through a management degree in Lisbon, work as a waiter and bartender, an eight-month round-the-world trip on $10 a day (capped off by hitchhiking from LA to Alaska), a completed airline pilot course cut short by COVID, and eventually driving his own tuk-tuk as a tour guide in Lisbon. It was there, meeting American tourists daily and reflecting on travels to 100 countries, that he noticed a gap: Portuguese cuisine has a strong presence in Portuguese communities across the U.S., but almost no presence tailored to the broader international crowd, especially in a city as multicultural as New York. Mr. Bifana launched about a year ago to fill that gap. The Sandwich Itself The bifana is Portugal’s everyday comfort sandwich, the food people eat to get through the day. Fernando emphasizes he isn’t creating anything new or adapting the recipe for American palates: he partnered directly with Solar dos Presuntos, a restaurant he calls the best in Portugal for traditional cuisine, to develop the recipe, and sources his bread from a Portuguese bakery in Newark that he considers non-negotiable. Unlike sandwiches where the bread is just a vehicle for the filling, Fernando says the bifana’s bread is built to soak up the meat’s juices without falling apart, making it as essential to the experience as the meat itself. The feedback splits into two camps: newcomers who’ve never had a bifana are struck by a flavor unlike anything else in New York’s crowded sandwich scene, while Portuguese New Yorkers simply say it tastes like home, which Fernando says is exactly the goal. Built on Authenticity, Not Adaptation A recurring theme: Fernando pushes back on the instinct many in the Portuguese diaspora have to water down traditional dishes for wider appeal. His approach is the opposite, bring the real thing and trust that people, both newcomers and homesick Portuguese alike, want authenticity rather than a localized version. The Visa, the Grind, and the World Cup Turning Point Building Mr. Bifana came with an added layer most founders don’t face: securing an E2 investor visa, which took significant time before he could operate at full capacity. Early growth came through pop-ups (sometimes bringing in extra staff just to help network), a five-and-a-half month setback when he tore his ACL and had to return to Portugal for surgery, and a slow rebuild after returning to New York this past March. The real catalyst was the World Cup. Following the Portuguese national team to events in Houston and Miami grew Mr. Bifana’s following from 1,200 to over 14,000 in about two months. A 22-day residency at Time Out Market’s Portugal House during the tournament further built brand awareness, introducing the bifana to internationals for the first time through content creators and foot traffic. That momentum led to a permanent partnership at 10 Degrees Bar on St. Mark’s Place, alongside ongoing pop-ups in Newark, the Lower East Side, and Union, NJ. What’s Next Fernando is deliberately taking things step by step, no investors, no long-term lease commitments, just steady execution at 10 Degrees for now. Looking five years out, he mentions a storefront, potential partnerships with markets like Time Out Market, and expansion into cities with strong Portuguese communities: Florida, Texas, Fall River, Boston, Providence, and even Toronto. Advice for Founders Don’t wait until you have every answer. Fernando’s take: if you have the vision and the will, go do it, the rest gets figured out along the way. He points out that not having a rigid plan kept him open to opportunities he wouldn’t have found otherwise, landing at one of New York’s best bar locations rather than locking into a Midtown storefront as a tourist might assume he should. Find Mr. Bifana: * Location: 10 Degrees Bar, St. Mark’s Place, NYC * Instagram: @mrbifananyc Explore More: Tala Branding: * Website: talabranding.com * Email: info@talabranding.com * Instagram: @tala.branding Thanks for reading Tala: Mighty Bites! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support the show. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit talabranding.substack.com
