MAXWELL'S TRADING COMPANY LIMITED

What MAXWELL'S TRADING COMPANY LIMITED does

Maxwells Trading is a single-location, chef-driven restaurant operating at 1516 W Carroll Ave in Chicago's Kinzie Industrial Corridor, near the West Loop, West Town, and the United Center. The restaurant is a concept of Underscore Hospitality LLC (founded by Josh Tilden and Erling Wu-Bower) and is operated through the legal entity Carroll & Justine, LLC. It serves general public diners and private event clients with an Asian-influenced American seasonal menu led by Chef-Partner Erling Wu-Bower and Executive Chef Chris Jung — both 2025 James Beard "Best Chef: Great Lakes" finalists. Operating hours are Tuesday–Thursday 4:30–9pm and Friday–Saturday 4:30–10pm; the restaurant is closed Sunday and Monday.

The core product is the dine-in experience in the main dining room and bar, complemented by four private event spaces (Maxwells Upstairs — 72 seated / 100 reception; Third Season Store — 12 seated with a $1,200 F&B minimum; Design Studio — 12–24 seated; Full Buyout — 150 seated / 200+ reception, expandable to 300+ with adjacent building spaces). Beverage program pricing spans $14–$17 cocktails, $3–$8 beer, $16–$38 appetizers, $23–$88 entrees, and $15–$19 desserts, with a $35 per-bottle corkage fee. Ancillary products include digital gift cards sold through Toast Tab and public rooftop farm tours via The Roof Crop (May–October). The technology stack is entirely third-party SaaS — Toast Tab (POS and gift cards), Resy (reservations, released 21 days in advance), and Tripleseat (private-event inquiries) — with no proprietary platform.

The business model is direct, in-person dine-in food and beverage sales layered with private-event bookings (F&B-minimum pricing), digital gift cards, and corkage. Marketing is earned-media driven, relying on press coverage (Chicago magazine #1 2026, NYT, Eater Chicago, Infatuation, Esquire, Robb Report, Chicago Tribune) and Instagram. Demand for the restaurant is concentrated in a single physical location; 100% of customers must visit Chicago, and there is no e-commerce, delivery, or third-party marketplace distribution. The single-asset, single-geography structure defines both the brand-defining intimacy of the concept and its principal scaling constraint.

Name

MAXWELL'S TRADING COMPANY LIMITED

Legal name

Carroll & Justine, LLC

Website

https://maxwellstrading.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Maxwells Trading is a single-location, chef-driven restaurant in Chicago's Kinzie Industrial Corridor serving Asian-influenced American cuisine from on-site rooftop-farm ingredients. It serves general public diners and private event clients across four event spaces, with James Beard-recognized culinary leadership and earned-media-driven demand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Upscale Casual Restaurant Services

NAICS

Special Food Services (7223)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Exclusive Dining Access & Chef’s Table Reservations (HSACAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Dietary Catering (Halal, Kosher, Vegan, Allergen-Free, Medical) (THAHAKAK), Event Culinary Staffing & Back-of-House Services (Chefs, Servers, Bartenders) (THAHAKAN)

Keywords

• Asian-American cuisine
• Chef-driven restaurant
• Private event venues
• Restaurant dining services
• Hospitality and catering

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Dine-In Food & Beverage Sales: Revenue from the à la carte food and beverage menu served during regular restaurant hours. Customers order from the Spring 2026 menu featuring Asian-influenced dishes and cocktails priced from $14–$49. Covers Tuesday–Thursday 4:30–9pm and Friday–Saturday 4:30–10pm.
2. Private Events & Buyouts: Revenue from booking private event spaces with food and beverage minimums. Spaces include Maxwells Upstairs (72 seated/100 reception), Third Season Store (12 seated, $1,200 F&B minimum), Design Studio (12–24 seated), and Full Buyout (150 seated/200+ reception).
3. Digital Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold through Toast Tab, providing pre-paid revenue and customer acquisition.
4. Corkage Fee: A $35 per bottle corkage fee is charged for customers who bring their own wine, representing a ancillary revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Maxwells Trading is a single-location chef-driven restaurant in Chicago's West Loop serving Asian-influenced American cuisine to individual diners, with an on-site private event program across four event spaces and an adjacent rooftop farm partnership (The Roof Crop) supplying hyper-local produce to the kitchen.

Product overview

Maxwells Trading is a single-location restaurant offering a unified dining experience that combines full-service in-house dining with private event hosting capabilities. The core offering is the restaurant itself, featuring Chef-Partner Erling Wu-Bower and Executive Chef Chris Jung's Asian-influenced American cuisine made with ingredients from the rooftop farm. The portfolio includes the main dining room and bar service, four distinct private event spaces (Maxwells Upstairs, Third Season Store, Design Studio, and Full Buyout), a curated beverage program with cocktails and wine, and digital gift cards. The restaurant also offers seasonal rooftop farm tours as an ancillary experience. The company operates as a concept under Underscore Hospitality LLC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Restaurant Dining Service Full-service dine-in restaurant service offering Asian-influenced American cuisine to individual diners in Chicago's West Loop, with reservations managed via Resy.
• Private Event Venue Hosting Private event hosting across four dedicated event spaces on-site, available for weddings, receptions, corporate events, and milestone celebrations; bookings managed via Tripleseat.
• Beverage Program On-site beverage program supporting the dine-in and private event service offerings at the restaurant.
• Digital Gift Cards Digital gift cards redeemable at Maxwells Trading, sold through the Toast Tab platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of all gratuities collected are paid out to hourly team members
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Underscore Hospitality LLCflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaxwells Trading is a concept by Underscore Hospitality LLC, founded by partners Josh Tilden and Erling Wu-Bower. The hospitality group created Maxwells Trading as their ideal place to dine, drink, and listen to music with family and friends.
• The Roof CropcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Roof Crop grows artisanal crops on the rooftop of 1516 W. Carroll Ave, supplying ingredients (including honey) directly to Maxwells Trading's kitchen. Crops are selected collaboratively based on menu development. Together the teams work towards a closed-loop system through composting, recycling, and upcycling materials. Public tours available May–October.
• The Roof Crop FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaxwells partners with The Roof Crop Foundation to mentor young people in urban farming, restaurant operations and cooking, demonstrating how environmental stewardship can create meaningful career paths.
• Third SeasonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThird Season is an apothecary, design studio and coffee shop located in the same building at 1516 W. Carroll Ave. The Third Season Store doubles as a semi-private event space for up to 12 seated guests.
• Flashpoint InnovationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlashpoint Innovation is a food and beverage consultancy located at 1516 W. Carroll Ave as part of the Maxwell's Trading collective of food, design and sustainability-focused businesses.
• ResycoreTechnology or IntegrationResy is the reservation management platform used by Maxwells Trading for dine-in bookings. Reservations for parties up to 10 guests are available on Resy, released 21 days in advance at 7am CT. For larger parties, [email protected] is used.
• Toast TabcoreTechnology or IntegrationToast Tab is the point-of-sale and gift card platform used by Maxwells Trading. Digital gift cards are available for purchase via toasttab.com/maxwellstrading/giftcards.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Oriole: Noah Sandoval's intimate upscale Chicago tasting-menu restaurant with a similar chef-anchored brand and earned-media positioning. Highly comparable on price point, capacity, and Chicago fine-dining customer base.
• Smyth: John and Karen Shields' Chicago tasting-menu restaurant known for hospitality-forward service and chef-driven identity. Comparable on small-format fine dining, Chicago press profile, and event hosting.
• Alinea: Grant Achatz's flagship Chicago tasting-menu restaurant and the benchmark for chef-driven, single-location, premium Chicago dining. Directly comparable in terms of culinary-led identity, Chicago press dominance, and exclusive reservation-driven demand.
• Kumiko: Chicago Japanese-inspired cocktail bar and dining room from Chef Julia Momose. Comparable curated beverage program, intimate upscale format, and West Loop-area destination dining.
• Ever: Curtis Duffy's Chicago fine-dining Korean-American restaurant. Comparable upscale chef-driven, single-location, tasting-menu format with national press recognition.
• Mariscos San Pedro: Chef-driven seafood-focused Chicago restaurant with strong private events business and a beverage program emphasis. Comparable on event-space monetization and chef-anchored Chicago dining.
• Elske: Anna and David Posey's West Loop restaurant offering a seasonal tasting menu. Comparable chef-driven, single-location West Loop/Kinzie-area positioning and prix-fixe revenue model.
• Kasama: Upscale Filipino restaurant in Chicago with James Beard recognition, brunch/dinner service, and private events. Directly comparable single-location, chef-led, Chicago restaurant with strong press and a multi-format (dining + retail) model.
• The Duck Inn: Chicago seasonal gastropub from Chef Kevin Hickey with private dining. Comparable chef-led identity, seasonal menu, and event hosting at a more accessible price point.
• Hai Sous: Upscale Vietnamese-influenced Chicago restaurant from Chef Thai Dang with private events and a bar program. Closely comparable Asian-influenced menu identity, chef-anchored brand, and event-driven revenue mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/maxwellstrading

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MAXWELL'S TRADING COMPANY LIMITED