Hercules Churrasqueria replacing Forum Diner in Bay Shore
Grilled chicken (with salad, fries, vegetables and rice) at Hercules Churrasqueria in Franklin Square. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Turning an old diner into a Brazilian grill isn’t the most intuitive concept, but it has worked so well for brothers Oscar and David Hercules and their partner, Nelson Marquez, that they are doing it for the second time.
In 2023, the team transformed the Franklin Square Diner (which closed in 2019) into Hercules Churrasqueria. Now they are poised to churrasqueria-fy Bay Shore’s Forum Diner, which closed in 2022 after 52 years. (Click here to read about other former-diner transformations.)
Marquez was a veteran of Mineola’s Churrasqueria Bairrada, one of the first Portuguese restaurants on Long Island to specialize in rodizio: the tradition of all-you-can-eat grilled meats that started in Brazil, a former Portuguese colony. In Franklin Square, many customers order the rodizio, the mixed grill (one big, multi-meat platter lightened up with florets of broccoli) or one of the 10 grilled seafood options.
But "the king of the menu" is the grilled whole chicken, accompanied by rice, fries, salad and sautéed vegetables. The birds are grilled in a special cage that flattens them for rapid, even cooking. All Marquez would say about the marinade was that it contained garlic and hot peppers.
The Franklin Square restaurant has about 100 seats but, in Bay Shore, there are 170. Marquez said that, in addition to hiring more people, they are also expanding the menu. "We are adding a couple of Italian dishes — something for everyone. He said the team is shooting to open by the end of February.
