At America's Best Restaurant, Dishwashers Make $70k a Year

Dear Pros,

You've got executive editor Karen Shimizu here for a special edition of the F&W Pro newsletter. I'm honored to announce the winner of Food & Wine's 2026 Restaurant of the Year: John's Food & Wine in Chicago.

Tucked away on a leafy street in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, John's Food & Wine offers everything you want on a night out. The tightly curated menu is stacked with flawlessly executed, chef-led, seasonally driven dishes. The dining room buzzes with joyful energy. The bar's got a great wine list and a fun array of ice-cold cocktails. Every time I visited, I felt like the restaurant was in a flow state — one that it also pulled diners into. But John's is more than a great meal and a good time; it's also a leader in restaurant reform, prioritizing the well-being and career longevity of its workers.

Led by chef-owners Adam McFarland and Tom Rogers, John's was built around the twin goals of paying every staff member a competitive wage and incentivizing them to stay and grow their career at the restaurant for the long haul. In order to achieve that, the duo had to rethink every inch of the way an upscale restaurant is run. There are no dedicated servers — rather, the person bringing your dish or drink to your table might be the chef who made it, a sommelier, or one of the owners. Instead of tips, a 20% hospitality charge added to every check is divided among every non-management employee who worked that day.

By all measures, their experiment in restaurant reform is succeeding. John's is turning an 18% profit (3% to 5% is more typical for independent restaurants), cooking some of the most exciting food in Chicago, and meeting the goals McFarland and Rogers set. After filing W-2s for 2025, the two told me that they're proud to employ — in their estimation — the highest-paid dishwasher (who earned $70K) and line cook ($90K) in Chicago.

I hope you'll read my profile of this extraordinary spot, snag a recipe for their signature lobster salad while you're at it, and book a table the next time you're in Chicago. John's Food & Wine is proof that the best restaurants don't have to just be great — they can also be good.

Warmly,
Karen