Esquire General Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Location: 58 East Oak Street, Gold Coast, Chicago, IL Employment type: Full-time Classification: Salaried, exempt Reports to: Director of Operations

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 58 Club. 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.

The GM owns the guest-facing operation of the Esquire dining room — the Captain-led service brigade, bar, and host teams — and is the on-floor steward of the four pillars and the venue's commercial performance. Where the Director holds the whole-venue standard, the GM makes consistency and hospitality real every night and owns the numbers behind them: P&L, labor, retention, and the bench that keeps the room excellent as it grows.

• Own nightly service execution across the dining room against documented steps-of-service and timing standards.
• Own FOH P&L performance — revenue, labor, and cost lines — and manage to the par grid and budget.
• Lead recruiting and selection for the FOH team in partnership with People Operations; the Director holds final hiring authority.
• Build succession: identify and develop the Captain and Lead Server bench so leadership depth outpaces growth.
• Own guest retention — VIP and repeat-guest development, recovery, and the relationships that fill the room.
• Lead, schedule, and develop the salaried FOH leadership (Maître d', Support Manager, Service Managers, Beverage Manager).
• Partner with the Executive Chef and Beverage Manager on pacing, expo, and the full guest journey.

• 5+ years FOH leadership in upscale or fine dining; multi-room or high-volume experience preferred.
• P&L ownership and labor-management track record; fluency with the par grid and budget.
• Command of steps-of-service standards and a Captain-led service model.
• POS and reservation-system fluency (Toast, SevenRooms); calm, gracious presence under pressure.

• Illinois BASSET (alcohol) — REQUIRED. Valid BASSET certification after any shift that involves selling, serving, or checking ID for alcohol, and no later than 30 days after hire (company policy; statute allows 120); renew every 3 years.
• 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.)
• Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) — RECOMMENDED, so the role can serve as an on-duty CFPM (at least one required on site during all food prep and service hours).

$120,000–$150,000 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, AD&D, STD, and LTD; 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 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.