Esquire Prep Cook

Job Description

Job Description

Location: 58 East Oak Street, Gold Coast, Chicago, IL   Employment type: Full-time   Classification: Hourly, non-exempt    Reports to: Prep Sous Chef

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.

Onboarding and training is estimated to begin mid-to-late October 2026. Because our permanent location is wrapping up construction, the initial onboarding and training may be adjusted. We will provide the exact address and finalized dates at least two weeks after training begins.

The foundation every station is built on — accurate mise, disciplined par, and immaculate food safety after a single ticket prints. A role of precision and consistency at the root of the kitchen.

• Execute the daily prep list to recipe and yield standards.
• Maintain mise and par across stations; label, date, and rotate product.
• Run receiving and storage support; protect food safety and minimize waste.
• Keep the prep kitchen clean, organized, and service-ready.

• Prior kitchen or prep experience preferred; culinary-school externs welcome.
• Knife fundamentals and recipe accuracy.
• Organized, reliable, and detail-driven.

• Illinois Food Handler — REQUIRED. ANAB-accredited food-handler certificate within 30 days of hire; renew every 3 years. (Waived for holders of a current CFPM.)

$18.00–$20.00 per hour · eligible for BOH tip-pool share. Good-faith figure; the final offer is confirmed in writing.

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, AD&D, 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). Tipped roles also share the tip pool (a good-faith estimate, not a guaranteed wage). Final plan details and eligibility are confirmed in the written offer.

Interested? Send your résumé — and references where applicable — to View email address on ziprecruiter.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.