Esquire Prep Sous Chef

Location: 58 East Oak Street, Gold Coast, Chicago, IL   Employment type: Full-time   Classification: Salaried, exempt   Reports to: Executive Chef / Chef de Cuisine

Esquire is a 265-seat luxury steakhouse in Chicago’s Gold Coast where Japanese precision meets French technique — anchored by an elite Wagyu and seafood program, a four-level Wine Tower, the OakShō omakase counter, and the invitation-only Maison 58. We hold an uncompromising standard and hire people who want to set it, not just meet it. Esquire is operated by M Street Collective, the group behind Nashville’s Virago, Moto, Kayne Prime, and Saint Añejo.

Owns the prep kitchen and the foundation every station is built on. The Prep Sous leads the prep team and guards consistency at the root of the operation — accurate mise, disciplined par, and immaculate food safety after a single ticket prints.

• Lead the prep team and own the daily prep list, mise, and par across stations.
• Hold recipe accuracy and yield standards so every station starts from the same baseline.
• Run receiving, rotation, and storage; protect food safety and minimize waste.
• Train prep cooks and feed the line-cook development pipeline.

• 3+ years kitchen experience with prep-leadership responsibility.
• Strong recipe-accuracy, yield, and food-safety fundamentals.
• Organized, calm, and detail-driven.

• Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) — REQUIRED. Current ANSI-CFP–accredited CFPM (valid 5 years); this role serves as an on-duty CFPM. At least one CFPM must be present during all hours of food preparation and service.
• Allergen Awareness (manager) — REQUIRED with CFPM. Illinois-approved, ANSI-accredited allergen training within 30 days; renew every 3 years; kept on site.
• Food Handler is satisfied by the CFPM.

$64,000 to $86,000 per year, paid as an annual salary (market-aligned). The final offer is confirmed in writing. This position is eligible for a performance bonus as a component of total compensation.

Eligible team members receive group medical, dental, and vision insurance (the Company pays part of the premium), a 401(k) plan, Company-paid life insurance, and a confidential Employee Assistance Program. Time off includes Paid Time Off for eligible salaried positions, Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave, and paid bereavement leave, plus the protected leaves required by federal and Illinois law (FMLA, VESSA, military, jury, and voting). Final plan details and eligibility are confirmed in the written offer.

Interested? Send your résumé — and references where applicable — to careers@mstreetcollective.com or apply through the platform where you found this role.

Held to Esquire’s four pillars — quality, consistency, hospitality, and innovation — and the five universal competencies: professionalism, teamwork, growth mindset, excellence, and hospitality.

Esquire is a modern luxury steakhouse on Oak Street in Chicago’s Gold Coast — Japanese precision built on a French foundation, anchored by an elite Wagyu program and a seafood-and-sushi program that earns equal billing. Across a 265-seat dining room, a four-level ~5,000-bottle Wine Tower, the Trophy Room, the invitation-only 58 Club, and the OakShō omakase counter, it delivers omotenashi-inspired hospitality and culinary theater in a vintage-Hollywood setting.

M Street Collective is the hospitality group behind Esquire, with operations in Nashville and Chicago. Built on four pillars — quality, consistency, hospitality, and innovation — and a commitment to innovation, leadership development and world-class training, the Collective creates restaurants and experiences defined by an uncompromising standard and genuine, anticipatory care.