Episodes 01

“System”

In the summer of 2022, James Beard Award-winning chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto returns home to Chicago to manage The Original Beef of Chicagoland, a rundown River North restaurant owned by his brother Michael, who recently died by suicide. His brother’s best friend, Richie Jerimovich, and the stubborn staff resist Carmy’s proposed changes to modernize the restaurant. Carmy hires Culinary Institute of America-trained chef and Chicago native Sydney Adamu, who wants to help him fix the restaurant because it was her dad’s favorite.

Episodes 02

“Hands”

In a flashback, Carmy works at a fine dining restaurant in New York City where his boss verbally abuses him. In the present, Carmy attempts to overhaul the menu as he faces continued resistance from the staff members who fail to show him respect. Carmy’s sister, Natalie Berzatto, attempts to help but struggles to connect with her brother. After a health inspector discovers multiple safety and sanitation issues, the restaurant is given a “C” rating. Carmy discovers how poorly the restaurant has been managed, and that his brother was $300,000 in debt to their uncle, Cicero. Cicero offers to buy the restaurant from Carmy, who refuses and agrees to pay back his brother’s loan. Sydney wants to be paid as a proper sous-chef. Richie reveals to Sydney that Michael wouldn’t allow Carmy to work in the restaurant when he was younger and that he shot himself in the head four months prior.

Episodes 03

“Brigade”

Carmy attends an Al-Anon meeting in an attempt to better understand his brother’s struggles with addiction. At the restaurant, he introduces a Brigade de cuisine style kitchen and relies on the ill-prepared and increasingly frustrated Sydney to manage it. After initial failures, the staff begins to connect to their new roles, particularly Marcus, the passionate baker. Carmy and Sydney clash over how to best run the restaurant.

Episodes 04

“Dogs”

Carmy and Richie cater a children’s birthday party for Cicero. Carmy creates homemade Ecto cooler, which is accidentally spiked with Richie’s Xanax, causing the children to pass out in the yard. To their surprise, Cicero finds it humorous. Meanwhile, Sydney bonds with the restaurant staff and begins to earn their respect. Marcus becomes passionate about his new chocolate cake program.

Episodes 05

“Sheridan”

Carmy and Sydney agree to create a new dinner menu to increase profits. As they prepare to open for lunch, a toilet backup causes a spill. Carmy calls Fak, Richie’s friend, to fix it. Wanting to become an official employee, Fak interviews with Richie which culminates in a fight, requiring Carmy to break them up. Fak reveals that Richie has been selling cocaine in the alley behind the restaurant; Richie explains that this got the business through the COVID-19 pandemic but agrees to stop. As Marcus rushes to bake cakes, a fuse blows and the restaurant’s operations cease. When Fak informs Carmy it will cost over $5,000 to replace a damaged condenser, he asks Richie to get the money by selling cocaine one final time. Sydney saves the day by running an outdoor lunch service using a makeshift barbecue setup.

Episodes 06

“Ceres”

Sydney develops a risotto meal for an upcoming dinner menu, but Carmy rejects it; Sydney serves it to a customer anyway. Sugar comes to the restaurant to work on the problem of back taxes and looks with Carmy for the missing documents needed for filing. Marcus continues to work hard on developing donuts but finds himself behind on restaurant work. The restaurant has its windows shot out by stray gunfire, and Richie asks the local gangsters to find out who did it. Later, the gangsters get into a scuffle, which Sydney breaks up by offering them leftovers; Richie feels left out and unneeded because of Sydney’s success and calls the police on the gangsters.

Episodes 07

“Review”

Ebraheim reads aloud a new review of the restaurant which gives it a good appraisal, with especially high regards for the risotto dish which Sydney gave to a food critic as a kind gesture. Tina’s son gets suspended from school so she brings him to the diner to learn culinary skills. As the morning’s prep work is completed, the team learns that Sydney left on the preorder option for their to-go service, and hundreds of tickets pile in minutes before the lunch rush. Carmy blows up on Sydney and Marcus. Sydney accidentally stabs Richie in the chaos and announces her immediate resignation as Carmy begins to mentally deteriorate.

Episodes 08

“Braciole”

Carmy attends an Al-Anon meeting and shares how he got into the restaurant business because his brother never let him work at The Beef. Sydney and Marcus meet at her apartment and discuss their futures after they both quit due to Carmy’s outburst in the kitchen. The Beef hosts a bachelor party, where a fight breaks out and Richie is arrested for nearly killing a guest. The man recovers and Richie is charged with aggravated assault. Marcus returns to work and Carmy apologizes. Carmy accidentally starts a stove fire and takes no action; the other chefs have to put it out. Richie gives Carmy a letter left to him by Michael, which includes a spaghetti recipe and notes that they use smaller cans of tomatoes because they taste better. Carmy opens one of the cans and finds hundred-dollar bills hidden inside; they close the restaurant for the day as the chefs open all the cans and find more hidden money. Sydney returns after Carmy apologizes to her over text and suggests improvements to her risotto dish. Carmy hangs a sign announcing the closure of The Beef, and that a new restaurant called The Bear will be opening soon.