Jeffrey Drazin

Jeffrey Drazin is a managing partner of the “San” brand of restaurants that includes Ramen-San, Sushi-San, and Il Porcellino.

Without a doubt, Jeffrey knew that he belonged in the hospitality industry. At age 16, he scooped ice cream at a Baskin-Robbins (where he learned there is no better flavor than Peanut Butter ‘n’ Chocolate), and during college he worked at Ned Kelly’s steakhouse. There, Jeffrey discovered the different facets of restaurant life: He worked as a line and prep cook in the heat of the kitchen before eventually transitioning to the front of the house as a server. But it was his internship at Lettuce Entertain You’s Lincolnshire location of Wildfire before his final year of college that made him realize restaurants are exactly where he was meant to be.

After receiving his Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from the University of Illinois in 2001, Jeffrey joined Lettuce Entertain You as a manager at Wildfire in Minnesota. Under the leadership of the Wildfire partners, Jeffrey was mentored on how to run a successful restaurant. From there, he was part of the opening teams for three different Wildfires and landed as the General Manager at the Lincolnshire location of Wildfire.

In 2014, Jeffrey moved to LEYE’s Melman / Meers division of restaurants to oversee the 59 W. Hubbard building that included Ramen-San, Paris Club Bistro & Bar and Studio Paris Nightclub. In early 2016, Jeffrey helped open Il Porcellino in the former Paris Club space.

In late 2017, Jeffrey and the team opened nearby Sushi-San. Ramen-San Whisky Bar in Chicago’s West Loop and Ramen-San Deluxe in the Streeterville neighborhood followed in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Jeffrey is looking forward to opening Tallboy Taco in Streeterville and a second location of Sushi-San in the iconic Willis Tower in Spring 2020.

Under the guidance of partners R.J. Melman, Jerrod Melman and Chris Meers, Jeffrey has learned how to be a leader in the industry and is excited to continue training and developing his teams to create exceptional restaurants. He is very proud of his work in the division and is eager to see what the future has in store for the “San” brand.

Jeffrey would not be where he is today without the love and support of his wonderful family and amazing wife, Allie. When not in the restaurants, Jeffrey enjoys spending time with his son, Emerson. He also loves traveling to far-off locations to explore new cultures and cuisines.