SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED DECEMBER 14, 2017

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To prospectus dated June 30, 2016)

1,900,000 Shares

THE CHEFS’ WAREHOUSE, INC.

COMMON STOCK

We are offering 1,900,000 shares of our common stock.

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “CHEF.” The closing sale price of our common stock on December 13, 2017 was $20.40 per share, as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.

The underwriter has agreed to purchase shares of our common stock from us at a price of $     per share, which will result in approximately $     million of aggregate proceeds to us before expenses. The underwriter may offer our shares of our common stock from time to time for sale in one or more transactions on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, in the over-the-counter market, through negotiated transactions or otherwise at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. See “Underwriting.”

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Please read “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-3 of this prospectus supplement and in the documents incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus to read about factors you should consider before buying our common stock.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission or other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of the securities described herein or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Delivery of the shares of common stock will be made on or about December    , 2017, through the book-entry facilities of The Depository Trust Company.

Jefferies

The date of this prospectus supplement is                   , 2017.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prospectus Supplement

Prospectus

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This document is in two parts. The first part is comprised of this prospectus supplement which describes the specific terms of this offering and certain other matters relating to us and also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference therein, contains a description of our common stock and provides more general information about us and securities we may offer from time to time, some of which does not apply to this offering. Generally, when we refer to the prospectus, we are referring to both parts of this document combined. To the extent the information contained in this prospectus supplement differs or varies from the information contained in the accompanying prospectus or documents previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, the information in this prospectus supplement will supersede such information and you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement.

We have not, and the underwriter has not, authorized any other person to provide you with information other than information provided or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus relating to the offerings of common stock made pursuant to this prospectus supplement. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you or representations that others may make. See “Incorporation by Reference” and “Where You Can Find More Information” in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

Neither we nor the underwriter are making an offer of this common stock in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted.

The information contained in or incorporated by reference in this document is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus supplement or the date of such incorporated documents, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement or of any sale of common stock. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those respective dates.

Unless expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, the terms “we,” “our,” “us,” the “Company” and “Chefs’ Warehouse” refer to The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. and its subsidiaries. When we refer to the “common stock,” we refer to all shares of our common stock, par value $0.01 per share, offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement. The term “you” refers to a prospective investor.

Currency amounts in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are stated in U.S. dollars.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Our quarterly periods end on the thirteenth Friday of each quarter. Every six to seven years we will add a fourteenth week to our fourth quarter to more closely align our year end to the calendar year. Our fiscal years ended December 25, 2015 and December 26, 2014 were each comprised of fifty-two weeks. Our fiscal year ended December 30, 2016 consisted of 53 weeks. Fiscal years are identified in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus according to the calendar year in which the fiscal years end. For example, references to “2016,” “fiscal 2016,” “fiscal year end 2016” or other similar references refer to the fiscal year ended December 30, 2016.

INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus include industry and market data that we derived from internal company records, publicly-available information and industry publications and surveys. Industry publications and surveys generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. We believe that this data is accurate in all material respects as of the date of the applicable document. You should carefully consider the inherent risks and uncertainties associated with the industry and market data contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

TRADEMARKS AND TRADE NAMES

In this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, we refer (without any ownership notation) to several registered and common law trademarks, including Spoleto, Bel Aria, Grand Reserve, Provvista, Argonaut, Praml, Black Falls, Michael’s, Chocoa, Crescendo, Matisse, Qzina, Coccinelle, Allen Brothers, The Great Steakhouse Steaks, Del Monte, Fells Point and The Chefs’ Warehouse. All brand names or other trademarks appearing in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are the property of their respective owners.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Our disclosure and analysis in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and are subject to the safe harbor created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide our current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not statements of historical fact. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future events, including, among other things, discussion and analysis of our future financial condition, results of operations, strategic plans and objectives, cost management, liquidity and ability to refinance our indebtedness as it matures, anticipated capital expenditures (and access to capital) required to complete projects, amounts of cash distributions to our stockholders in the future, if any, and other matters. Words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates” and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control, are difficult to predict and/or could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve inherent uncertainty and may ultimately prove to be incorrect or false. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise may be required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or actual operating results. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the following:

■   our success depends to a significant extent upon general economic conditions, including disposable income levels and changes in consumer discretionary spending;

■   a significant portion of our future growth is dependent upon our ability to expand our operations in our existing markets and to penetrate new markets through acquisitions;

■   we may not achieve the benefits expected from our acquisitions, including our recent acquisitions of M.T. Food Service, Inc. and Fells Point Wholesale Meats, Inc., which could adversely impact our business and operating results;

■   we may have difficulty managing and facilitating our future growth;

■   conditions beyond our control could materially affect the cost and/or availability of our specialty food products or center-of-the-plate products and/or interrupt our distribution network;

■   our increased distribution of center-of-the-plate products, like meat, poultry and seafood, following our acquisitions of Michael’s Finer Meats, LLC (“Michael’s”), Allen Brothers, Inc. (“Allen Brothers”), Del Monte Capital Meat Co. and related entities (“Del Monte”) and Fells Point Wholesale Meats, Inc., involves risks that we have not historically faced;

■   our business is a low-margin business and our profit margins may be sensitive to inflationary and deflationary pressures;

■   group purchasing organizations may become more active in our industry and increase their efforts to add our customers as members of these organizations;

■   because our foodservice distribution operations are concentrated in certain culinary markets, we are susceptible to economic and other developments, including adverse weather conditions, in these areas;

■   damage to our reputation or lack of acceptance of our specialty food products, center-of-the-plate products and/or the brands we carry in existing and new markets could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition or results of operations;

■   our customers are generally not obligated to continue purchasing products from us;

■   we have experienced losses due to our inability to collect accounts receivable in the past and could experience increases in such losses in the future if our customers are unable to pay their debts to us in a timely manner or at all;

■   product liability claims could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations;

■   fuel cost volatility may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations;

■   new information or attitudes regarding diet and health or adverse opinions about the health effects of the products we distribute could result in changes in consumer eating habits, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations;

■   we have significant competition from a variety of sources, and we may not be able to compete successfully;

■   our substantial indebtedness may limit our ability to invest in the ongoing needs of our business;

■   our ability to raise capital in the future may be limited;

■   we may be unable to obtain debt or other financing, including financing necessary to execute on our acquisition strategy, on favorable terms or at all;

■   information technology system failures or breaches of our network security could interrupt our operations and adversely affect our business;

■   our investments in information technology may not produce the benefits that we anticipate;

■   we may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property, which, in turn, could harm the value of our brands and adversely affect our business;

■   our business operations and future development could be significantly disrupted if we lose key members of our management team;

■   our insurance policies may not provide adequate levels of coverage against all claims, and fluctuating insurance requirements and costs could negatively impact our profitability. In addition, if we fail to establish proper reserves and adequately estimate future expenses, the costs associated with our self-insured group medical, workers’ compensation liability and auto liability plans may adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations;

■   increases in our labor costs, including as a result of labor shortages, the unionization of some of our associates, the price or unavailability of insurance and changes in government regulation, could slow our growth or harm our business;

■   we are subject to significant governmental regulation and failure to comply could subject us to enforcement actions, recalls or other penalties, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations;

■   federal, state, provincial and local tax rules in the United States and Canada may adversely impact our business, financial condition or results of operations;

■   the price of our common stock may be volatile and our stockholders could lose all or a part of their investment;

■   concentration of ownership among our existing executive officers, directors and their affiliates may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions;

■   if securities analysts or industry analysts downgrade our stock, publish negative research or reports or do not publish reports about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline;

■   we do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future and our stock may not appreciate in value;

■   our issuance of preferred stock or debt securities could adversely affect holders of our common stock and discourage a takeover; and

■   some provisions of our charter documents and Delaware law may have anti-takeover effects that could discourage an acquisition of us by others, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders, and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

This list of risks and uncertainties, however, is only a summary of some of the most important factors and is not intended to be exhaustive. You should carefully review the risks that are set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-3 in this prospectus supplement, under the caption “Risk Factors” on page 1 of the accompanying prospectus, and in “Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2016, filed with the SEC on March 10, 2017. New factors that are not currently known to us or of which we are currently unaware may also emerge from time to time that could materially and adversely affect us.

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

This summary highlights some of the information contained in, or incorporated by reference to, this prospectus. This summary may not contain all of the information that may be important to you. For a more complete understanding of our business and this offering, we encourage you to read this entire prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference herein, the more detailed information regarding our company and the common stock being sold in this offering, as well as our consolidated financial statements and the related notes incorporated by reference in this prospectus, before deciding to invest in our common stock. Some of the statements in this prospectus constitute forward looking statements. See “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

We are a premier distributor of specialty food products in the United States and Canada. We are focused on serving the specific needs of chefs who own and/or operate some of the leading menu-driven independent restaurants, fine dining establishments, country clubs, hotels, caterers, culinary schools, bakeries, patisseries, chocolatiers, cruise lines, casinos and specialty food stores in the United States and Canada. We believe that we have a distinct competitive advantage in serving these customers as a result of our extensive selection of distinctive and hard-to-find specialty and center-of-the-plate food products, our product knowledge and our customer service.

Our address is 100 East Ridge Road Ridgefield, Connecticut 06877, and our telephone number is (203) 894-1345. Our website is www.chefswarehouse.com; any information on or connected to our website is not part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

For a description of our business, financial condition, results of operations and other important information regarding us, we refer you to our filings with the SEC incorporated by reference to this prospectus. For instructions on how to find copies of these documents, see “Where You Can Find More Information.”

The Offering

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves risks. Our business is influenced by many factors that are difficult to predict and beyond our control and that involve uncertainties that may materially affect our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows, or the value of our common stock. These risks and uncertainties include those described below, as well as in the risk factors and other sections of the documents that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2016, as well as any subsequent Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K we file after the date of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). You should carefully consider these risks and uncertainties and all of the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus before you invest in our common stock.

This offering may cause the price of our common stock to decline.

The issuance of new shares of common stock in this offering could have the effect of depressing the market price for shares of our common stock.

There may be future sales or other dilution of our equity, which may materially adversely affect the market price for shares of our common stock.

We are generally not restricted from issuing additional shares of common stock, including any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive shares of common stock or any substantially similar securities. The market price for shares of our common stock could materially decline as a result of sales of shares of common stock or similar securities in the market made after such offering or the perception that such sales could occur.

The price and trading volume of our common stock may fluctuate significantly, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

The market price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market constantly changes and we expect that will continue. In the future, such market price may become highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations due to our future performance or external factors. In addition, the trading volume of our common stock may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. Volatility in the market price of our common stock may prevent you from being able to sell your shares at or above the price you paid for your shares of common stock. The market price for our common stock could fluctuate significantly for various reasons, including:

■   our operating and financial performance and prospects;

■   our quarterly or annual earnings or those of other companies in our industry;

■   the public’s reaction to our press releases, other public announcements and filings with the SEC;

■   changes in earnings estimates or recommendations by securities analysts who track our common stock;

■   market and industry perception of our success, or lack thereof, in pursuing our strategies;

■   strategic actions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions or joint ventures;

■   changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles;

■   arrival and departure of key personnel;

■   changes in our capital structure; and

■   changes in general market, economic and political conditions in the U.S. and global economies or financial markets.

In recent years, the stock market has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations. This volatility frequently has occurred without regard to the operating performance of the affected companies. Hence, the price of our common stock could fluctuate based upon factors that have little or nothing to do with us, and these fluctuations could materially reduce our share price.

Enactment of a Tax Reform Bill could have a negative effect on us or holders of our common stock.

On November 16, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1), and on December 2, 2017, the U.S. Senate passed a revised version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (together with any amended versions, the “Tax Reform Bills”). Either of the Tax Reform Bills, or any compromise version of the Tax Reform Bills, if enacted into law, would make significant changes to the U.S. federal income tax rules applicable to both individuals and entities, including corporations. There is significant uncertainty as to the likelihood, timing or details of any Tax Reform Bill being enacted and the impact of such Tax Reform Bill on us or an investment in the notes. You should consult with your tax advisor with respect to the status of U.S. tax reform and its potential effect on your investment in our common stock.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds to us from this offering will be $     million, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering for general working capital and corporate purposes.

Our management will have broad discretion to allocate and use the net proceeds from this offering. The occurrence of unforeseen events or changed business conditions, however, could result in the application of the proceeds from this offering in a manner other than as described in this prospectus supplement.

MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR NON-U.S. HOLDERS

The following discussion is a general summary of the material U.S. federal tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares of our common stock applicable to “non-U.S. holders.” As used herein, a non-U.S. holder means a beneficial owner of shares of our common stock that is not a “U.S. person” (as defined below) or a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and that will hold shares of our common stock as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. A “U.S. person” includes a person who, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is:

■   an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

■   a corporation (or other business entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

■   an estate the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

■   a trust that (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and the control of one or more U.S. persons, or (2) was in existence on August 20, 1996, was treated as a U.S. domestic trust immediately prior to that date, and has validly elected to continue to be treated as a U.S. domestic trust.

In the case of a holder of our common stock that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax treatment of a partner in such partnership generally will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partners of a partnership holding our common stock should consult their own tax advisors.

This summary does not consider specific facts and circumstances that may be relevant to a particular non-U.S. holder’s tax position and does not consider state and local or non-U.S. tax consequences or any tax consequences under U.S. federal tax laws other than the U.S. federal income tax laws and (to the extent specifically set forth below) U.S. federal estate tax laws. It does not address consequences relating to the Medicare tax imposed on net investment income. It also does not consider non-U.S. holders subject to special tax treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws (including partnerships or other pass-through entities, financial institutions, insurance companies, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, dealers in securities or currencies, traders in securities that elect to use a mark-to market method of accounting for their securities holdings, holders of shares of our common stock that hold such shares as part of a “straddle,” “hedge,” “conversion transaction” or other risk-reduction transaction, controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies, companies that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax, tax-exempt organizations, persons subject to the alternative minimum tax, persons that own, or are deemed to own, more than 5% of our capital stock (except to the extent specifically set forth below), former U.S. citizens or residents and persons who hold or receive shares of our common stock as compensation). This summary is based on provisions of the Code, applicable U.S. Treasury regulations, administrative pronouncements of the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, and judicial decisions, all as in effect on the date hereof, and all of which are subject to change (including as a result of the Tax Reform Bills, if enacted), possibly on a retroactive basis, and different interpretations.

Each prospective non-U.S. holder should consult its tax advisor with respect to the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. income, estate and other tax consequences of holding and disposing of shares of our common stock.

U.S. Trade or Business Income

For purposes of this discussion, dividend income, and gain on the sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock, will be considered to be “U.S. trade or business income” if such dividend income or gain is (1) effectively connected with the conduct by a non-U.S. holder of a trade or business within the United States and (2) in the case of a non-U.S. holder that is eligible for the benefits of an income tax treaty with the United States and if required by such treaty, attributable to a “permanent establishment” (or, for an individual, a “fixed base”) maintained by the non-U.S. holder in the United States. Generally, U.S. trade or business income is not subject to U.S. federal withholding tax (provided the non-U.S. holder complies with applicable certification and disclosure requirements); instead, U.S. trade or business income is subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at regular U.S. federal income tax rates in the same manner as applicable to a U.S. person. Any U.S. trade or business income received by a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation also may be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate, or at a lower rate prescribed by an applicable income tax treaty, under specific circumstances.

The U.S. federal withholding tax described below does not apply to any dividends that are U.S. trade or business income, as described above, of a non-U.S. holder who provides a properly executed IRS Form W-8ECI (or appropriate substitute or successor form), certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States.

Distributions

Distributions of cash or property (other than certain stock distributions) that we pay on shares of our common stock (or certain redemptions that are treated as distributions of shares of our common stock) will be taxable as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). If the amount of a distribution exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits, such excess first will be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of the non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our common stock, and thereafter will be treated as capital gain. See “Dispositions of Shares of Our Common Stock” below. Subject to the discussions of backup withholding and the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, below, a non-U.S. holder generally will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at a 30% rate, or at a reduced rate prescribed by an applicable income tax treaty, on the gross amount of any dividends received in respect of shares of our common stock. In order to obtain a reduced rate of U.S. federal withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty, a non-U.S. holder will be required to provide a properly executed IRS Form W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E (or appropriate substitute or successor form) certifying its entitlement to benefits under the treaty. Special certification and other requirements apply to certain non-U.S. holders that act as intermediaries. A non-U.S. holder of shares of our common stock that is eligible for a reduced rate of U.S. federal withholding tax under an income tax treaty may obtain a refund or credit of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for a refund with the IRS. A non-U.S. holder should consult its own tax advisor regarding its possible entitlement to benefits under an income tax treaty.

Dispositions of Shares of Our Common Stock

Subject to the discussions below of backup withholding and FATCA, a non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of any gain on a sale or other disposition of shares of our common stock unless:

■   the gain is U.S. trade or business income, as described above;

■   the non-U.S. holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 or more days in the taxable year of the disposition and meets certain other conditions; or

■   we are or have been a “U.S. real property holding corporation,” or a USRPHC, under section 897 of the Code at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition and the non-U.S. holder’s holding period for its shares of our common stock.

Gain described in the second bullet point above will be subject to a flat 30% tax (or such lower tax rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty), which may be offset by certain U.S. source capital losses.

In general, a corporation is a USRPHC if the fair market value of its “U.S. real property interests” equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of its worldwide (domestic and foreign) real property interests and its other assets used or held for use in a trade or business. We believe that we currently are not a USRPHC. In addition, based on our financial statements and current expectations regarding the value and nature of our assets and other relevant data, we do not anticipate becoming a USRPHC, although there can be no assurance these conclusions are correct or might not change in the future based on changed circumstances. If we are found to be a USRPHC, a non-U.S. holder, nevertheless, will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of any gain on a sale or other disposition of shares of our common stock so long as shares of our common stock are “regularly traded on an established securities market” as defined under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations and the non-U.S. holder owns and has owned, actually and constructively, 5% or less of the shares of our common stock during the shorter of the five year period ending on the date of disposition and such non-U.S. holder’s holding period for its shares of our common stock. Prospective investors should be aware that no assurance can be given that shares of our common stock will be so regularly traded when a non-U.S. holder sells its shares of our common stock.

Information Reporting Requirements and Backup Withholding

We must annually report to the IRS and to each non-U.S. holder any dividend income and the amount of tax, if any, withheld with respect to any such dividends that are subject to U.S. federal withholding tax, or that are exempt from such withholding tax pursuant to an income tax treaty. Copies of these information returns also may be made available under the provisions of a specific treaty or agreement to the tax authorities of the country in which the non-U.S. holder resides or is established. Under certain circumstances, the Code imposes a backup withholding obligation at a current rate of 28% on certain reportable payments. Dividends paid to a non-U.S. holder of shares of our common stock generally will be exempt from backup withholding if the non-U.S. holder provides a properly executed IRS Form W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E (or appropriate substitute or successor form) or otherwise establishes an exemption.

The payment of the proceeds from the disposition of shares of our common stock to or through the U.S. office of any broker, U.S. or foreign, will be subject to information reporting and possible backup withholding unless the holder certifies under penalties of perjury (generally on IRS Form W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E) that the holder is not a U.S. person or otherwise establishes an exemption, provided that the broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the holder is a U.S. person or that the conditions of any other exemption are not, in fact, satisfied. The payment of the proceeds from the disposition of shares of our common stock to or through a non-U.S. office of a non-U.S. broker will not be subject to information reporting or backup withholding unless the non-U.S. broker is a foreign person with certain specified U.S. connections (a “U.S. related person”). In the case of the payment of the proceeds from the disposition of shares of our common stock to or through a non-U.S. office of a broker that is either a U.S. person or a “U.S. related person,” the U.S. Treasury regulations require information reporting (but generally not backup withholding) on the payment unless the holder certifies under penalties of perjury (usually on IRS Form W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E) that the holder is not a U.S. person or otherwise establishes an exemption and the broker has no knowledge to the contrary. Non-U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors on the application of information reporting and backup withholding to them in their particular circumstances (including upon their disposition of shares of our common stock).

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules from a payment to a non-U.S. holder will be refunded or credited against the non-U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, if the non-U.S. holder timely provides the required information to the IRS and meets certain other requirements.

FATCA Withholding Taxes

FATCA generally imposes a 30% U.S. withholding tax on dividends on our common stock and the gross proceeds from a disposition of our common stock paid to (i) a “foreign financial institution” (as specifically defined in the Code) unless such institution enters into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury to collect and disclose information regarding U.S. account holders of such institution (including certain account holders that are foreign entities with U.S. owners) and to withhold on certain payments or it otherwise qualifies for an exemption and (ii) a “non-financial foreign entity” (as specifically defined in the Code) unless such entity provides the payor with a certification that it does not have any substantial direct or indirect U.S. owners or provides information identifying the substantial U.S. owners of the entity, which generally includes any U.S. person who directly or indirectly owns more than 10% of the entity, or it otherwise qualifies for an exemption. Under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations and recent IRS administrative guidance, the withholding currently applies to dividends and will apply to gross proceeds from sales or other dispositions of our common stock after December 31, 2018. The U.S. government has entered into several intergovernmental agreements implementing FATCA in a manner that alters the rules described above. Non-U.S. holders are encouraged to consult with their own tax advisor regarding the possible implications of FATCA on their investment in our common stock.

Federal Estate Tax

Individual non-U.S. holders and entities the property of which is potentially includible in such an individual’s gross estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes (for example, a trust funded by such an individual and with respect to which the individual has retained certain interests or powers), should note that, absent an applicable treaty benefit, shares of our common stock will be treated as U.S. situs property and, therefore, will be subject to U.S. federal estate tax.

UNDERWRITING

Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in an underwriting agreement, dated             , 2017, we have agreed to sell Jefferies LLC, the underwriter in this offering, and the underwriter has agreed to purchase from us, an aggregate of 1,900,000 shares of our common stock.

The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriter are subject to certain conditions precedent such as the receipt by the underwriter of officers’ certificates and legal opinions and approval of certain legal matters by its counsel. The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriter is obligated to purchase all the shares of common stock in the offering if any are purchased.

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriter against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriter may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

The underwriter proposes to offer the shares of common stock from time to time for sale in one or more transactions on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, in the over-the-counter market, through negotiated transactions or otherwise at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices, subject to receipt and acceptance by it and subject to its right to reject any order in whole or in part. In connection with the sale of the shares of common stock offered hereby, the underwriter may be deemed to have received compensation in the form of underwriting discounts. The underwriter may effect such transactions by selling shares of common stock to or through dealers and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriter and/or purchasers of shares of common stock for whom it may act as agent or to whom it may sell as principal.

We estimate that our out-of-pocket expenses for this offering will be approximately $     . We have also agreed to reimburse the underwriter for certain of its expenses in an amount up to $25,000 as set forth in the underwriting agreement.

Listing

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the trading symbol “CHEF.”

No Sales of Similar Securities

We, our officers, and our directors have agreed, subject to specified exceptions, including sales of common stock under existing 10b5-1 sales plan agreements, not to directly or indirectly:

■   sell, offer, contract or grant any option to sell (including any short sale), pledge, transfer, establish an open “put equivalent position” within the meaning of Rule 16a-l(h) under the Exchange Act, or

■   enter into any swap, hedge or similar arrangement or agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic risk of ownership of common stock, options or warrants to acquire shares of common stock, or securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into shares of common stock, regardless of whether any such transaction is to be settled in securities, in cash or otherwise, or

■   otherwise dispose of any shares of common stock, options or warrants to acquire shares of common stock, or securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into shares of common stock currently or hereafter owned either of record or beneficially, or

■   publicly announce an intention to do any of the foregoing for a period of 60 days after the date of this prospectus supplement without the prior written consent of Jefferies LLC.

This restriction terminates after the close of trading of the shares on and including the 60th day after the date of this prospectus supplement.

Jefferies LLC may, in its sole discretion and at any time or from time to time before the termination of the 60-day period release all or any portion of the securities subject to lock-up agreements. There are no existing agreements between the underwriter and any of our stockholders who will execute a lock-up agreement, providing consent to the sale of shares prior to the expiration of the lock-up period.

Stabilization

The underwriter has advised us that, pursuant to Regulation M under the Exchange Act, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in short sale transactions, stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions or the imposition of penalty bids in connection with this offering. These activities may have the effect of stabilizing or maintaining the market price of the common stock at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market.

Short Positions

Short sales involve the sale by the underwriter of a greater number of shares of our common stock than they are required to purchase in this offering. The underwriter must close out any short position by purchasing shares in the open market. A short position is more likely to be created if the underwriter is concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the shares of our common stock in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering.

A stabilizing bid is a bid for the purchase of shares of common stock on behalf of the underwriter for the purpose of fixing or maintaining the price of the common stock. A syndicate covering transaction is the bid for or the purchase of shares of common stock on behalf of the underwriter to reduce a short position incurred by the underwriter in connection with the offering. Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriter’s purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our common stock or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our common stock. As a result, the price of our common stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. A penalty bid is an arrangement permitting the underwriter to reclaim the selling concession otherwise accruing to a syndicate member in connection with the offering if the common stock originally sold by such syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction and therefore have not been effectively placed by such syndicate member.

Neither we, nor the underwriter makes any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our common stock. The underwriter is not obligated to engage in these activities and, if commenced, any of the activities may be discontinued at any time.

The underwriter may also engage in passive market making transactions in our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Select Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M during a period before the commencement of offers or sales of shares of our common stock in this offering and extending through the completion of distribution. A passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid of that security. However, if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, that bid must then be lowered when specified purchase limits are exceeded.

Electronic Distribution

A prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus in electronic format may be made available by e-mail or on the web sites or through online services maintained by the underwriter or its affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriter may agree with us to allocate a specific number of shares for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the underwriter on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus in electronic format, the information on the underwriter’s website and any information contained in any other website maintained by the underwriter is not part of this prospectus, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or the underwriter and should not be relied upon by investors.

Other Activities and Relationships

The underwriter and certain of its affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriter and certain of its affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various financial advisory and investment banking services for us, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses.

In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriter and certain of its affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments issued by us and our affiliates. If the underwriter or its affiliates have a lending relationship with us, they routinely hedge their credit exposure to us consistent with their customary risk management policies. The underwriter and its affiliates may hedge such exposure by entering into transactions which consist of either the purchase of credit default swaps or the creation of short positions in our securities or the securities of our affiliates, including potentially the common stock offered hereby. Any such short positions could adversely affect future trading prices of the common stock offered hereby. The underwriter and its affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations, market color or trading ideas and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

Selling Restrictions

Canada

(A) Resale Restrictions

The distribution of common stock in Canada is being made only in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia on a private placement basis exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each province where trades of these securities are made. Any resale of the common stock in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of the securities.

(B) Representations of Canadian Purchasers

By purchasing common stock in Canada and accepting delivery of a purchase confirmation, a purchaser is representing to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:

■   the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase the common stock without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws as it is an “accredited investor” as defined under National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions,

■   the purchaser is a “permitted client” as defined in National Instrument 31-103 - Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations,

■   where required by law, the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent, and

■   the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions.

(C) Conflicts of Interest

Canadian purchasers are hereby notified that Jefferies LLC is relying on the exemption set out in section 3A.3 or 3A.4, if applicable, of National Instrument 33-105 – Underwriting Conflicts from having to provide certain conflict of interest disclosure in this document.

(D) Statutory Rights of Action

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if the prospectus (including any amendment thereto) such as this document contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser of these securities in Canada should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

(E) Enforcement of Legal Rights

All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of those persons may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.

(F) Taxation and Eligibility for Investment

Canadian purchasers of common stock should consult their own legal and tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences of an investment in the common stock in their particular circumstances and about the eligibility of the common stock for investment by the purchaser under relevant Canadian legislation.

Australia

This prospectus is not a disclosure document for the purposes of Australia’s Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) of Australia, or Corporations Act, has not been lodged with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission and is only directed to the categories of exempt persons set out below. Accordingly, if you receive this prospectus in Australia:

To the extent that you are unable to confirm or warrant that you are an exempt sophisticated investor, associated person or professional investor under the Corporations Act any offer made to you under this prospectus is void and incapable of acceptance.

European Economic Area

In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a “Relevant Member State”), an offer to the public of any common shares which are the subject of the offering contemplated by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may not be made in that Relevant

Member State except that an offer to the public in that Relevant Member State of any common shares may be made at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Directive, if they have been implemented in that Relevant Member State:

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer common shares to the public” in relation to the common shares in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the common shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe to the common shares, as the same may be varied in that Relevant Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Relevant Member State and the expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including the 2010 PD Amending Directive, to the extent implemented in the Relevant Member State), and includes any relevant implementing measure in the Relevant Member State and the expression “2010 PD Amending Directive” means Directive 2010/73/EU.

Hong Kong

No securities have been offered or sold, and no securities may be offered or sold, in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than to persons whose ordinary business is to buy or sell shares or debentures, whether as principal or agent; or to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong (“SFO”) and any rules made under that Ordinance; or in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong (“CO”) or which do not constitute an offer or invitation to the public for the purpose of the CO or the SFO. No document, invitation or advertisement relating to the securities has been issued or may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the SFO and any rules made under that Ordinance.

This prospectus has not been registered with the Registrar of Companies in Hong Kong. Accordingly, this prospectus may not be issued, circulated or distributed in Hong Kong, and the securities may not be offered for subscription to members of the public in Hong Kong. Each person acquiring the securities will be required, and is deemed by the acquisition of the securities, to confirm that he is aware of the restriction on offers of the securities described in this prospectus and the relevant offering documents and that he is not acquiring, and has not been offered any securities in circumstances that contravene any such restrictions.

Israel

This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, or the Securities Law, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In Israel, this prospectus is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer of the common stock is directed only at, (i) a limited number of persons in accordance with the Israeli Securities Law and (ii) investors listed in the first addendum, or the Addendum, to the Israeli Securities Law, consisting primarily of joint investment in trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriters, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and “qualified individuals,” each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors (in each case, purchasing for their own account or, where permitted under the Addendum, for the accounts of their clients who are investors listed in the

Addendum). Qualified investors are required to submit written confirmation that they fall within the scope of the Addendum, are aware of the meaning of same and agree to it.

Japan

The offering has not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948 of Japan, as amended), or FIEL, and the Initial Purchaser will not offer or sell any securities, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the FIEL and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.

Singapore

This prospectus has not been and will not be lodged or registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the common stock may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the common stock be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275, of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

Where the shares of common stock are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:

securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the common stock pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

Switzerland

The securities may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This prospectus has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other

stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

Neither this prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the Company or the securities have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this prospectus will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (“CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities.

United Kingdom

This prospectus is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, persons in the United Kingdom that are qualified investors within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive that are also (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”) and/or (ii) high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated (each such person being referred to as a “relevant person”).

This prospectus and its contents are confidential and should not be distributed, published or reproduced (in whole or in part) or disclosed by recipients to any other persons in the United Kingdom. Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

LEGAL MATTERS

Certain legal matters will be passed upon for us by Shearman & Sterling LLP, New York, New York. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering will be passed upon for the underwriter by Latham & Watkins LLP, New York, New York.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of the Company as of December 30, 2016 and December 25, 2015, and for each of the three fiscal years in the period ended December 30, 2016, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 30, 2016, have been incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2016 in reliance upon the reports of BDO USA, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The audited consolidated financial statements of Fells Point Wholesale Meats, Inc. as of and for the year ended December 31, 2016 have been incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 99.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on November 7, 2017, in reliance upon the report of BDO USA, LLP, an independent auditor, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The SEC’s website is included in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus as an inactive textual reference only. The information contained on the SEC’s website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus and should not be considered to be part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus unless such information is otherwise specifically referenced elsewhere in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 to obtain information on the operation of the public reference room. We also make available, free of charge, through our website our annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information, including amendments thereto, as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Our website address is www.chefswarehouse.com. Our website address is provided as an inactive textual reference only. Information contained on or accessible through our website is not part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus and is therefore not incorporated by reference unless such information is otherwise specifically referenced elsewhere in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below (except the information contained in such documents to the extent that it is “furnished” and not “filed” in accordance with SEC rules):

months ended June 30, 2017 and June 30, 2016, and the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information reflecting the acquisition of Fells Point Wholesale Meats, Inc. into a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company as of and for the twenty-six weeks ended June 30, 2017, and for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2016, as set forth in Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on August 25, 2017 (as amended on November 7, 2017).

Notwithstanding the foregoing, information that we furnish under Items 2.02 and 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K, including the related exhibits under Item 9.01, is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

Any statement contained in a document that is incorporated by reference herein will be modified or superseded for all purposes to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, or in any other document that is subsequently filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference herein, modifies, or is contrary to that previous statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed a part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, except as so modified or superseded. Since information that we later file with the SEC will update and supersede previously incorporated information, you should look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or in any documents previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded.

We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus supplement is delivered, upon written or oral request, at no cost, a copy of any and all of the information that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

Requests for such documents shall be directed to:

The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc.
100 East Ridge Road
Ridgefield, Connecticut 06877
Attn: Corporate Secretary
Telephone: (203) 894-1345

PROSPECTUS

The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc.

Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Warrants
Debt Securities
Units

This prospectus relates to common stock, preferred stock, warrants, debt securities and units that we may offer from time to time. The debt securities may consist of debentures, notes, or other types of debt. The debt securities, preferred stock and warrants may be convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for common or preferred stock or other securities of ours. The units may consist of any combination of the securities listed above. The securities may be offered in an amount or number, at prices and on other terms and conditions to be determined at the time of sale and described in a prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus.

We may offer and sell the securities on a continuous or delayed basis to or through one or more underwriters, dealers or agents, or directly to the purchasers. We reserve the sole right to accept, and together with our agents, from time to time, to reject in whole or in part any proposed purchase of securities to be made directly or through our agents. If our agents or any dealers or underwriters are involved in the sale of the securities, the applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the names of the agents, dealers or underwriters and any applicable commissions or discounts. Our net proceeds from the sale of securities will also be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

In addition, up to 2,000,000 shares of our common stock may be offered and sold, from time to time, by selling stockholders described in this prospectus under the heading “Selling Stockholders” in the future in amounts, at prices and on other terms to be determined at the time of the offering and by any means described in this prospectus under the heading “Plan of Distribution.” We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our common stock by any of the selling stockholders.

This prospectus may not be used to sell shares of our common or preferred stock, warrants, debt securities or units unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

We will provide the specific terms of each offering of our securities in supplements to this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, as well as the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, carefully before you invest. Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “CHEF.” On June 1, 2016, the closing price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market was $15.63 per share.

The mailing address of our principal executive offices is 100 East Ridge Road, Ridgefield, Connecticut 06877. Our telephone number is (203) 894-1345.

Investing in our common or preferred stock, warrants, debt securities or units involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider all of the information set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 1 of this prospectus and in the applicable prospectus supplement before investing in any of our common or preferred stock, warrants, debt securities or units.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission or other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is June 30, 2016.

Table of Contents

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves risks. You should carefully consider the risks described under “Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus (which risk factors are incorporated by reference herein), including documents we file with the SEC after the date of this prospectus, as well as the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement, before making a decision to invest in our securities.

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is a part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may, from time to time, sell the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings and the selling stockholders identified herein may, from time to time, sell shares of our common stock in one or more offerings.

The registration statement containing this prospectus, including the exhibits to the registration statement, provides additional information about us and the securities offered under this prospectus. The registration statement, including the exhibits and the documents incorporated or deemed incorporated herein by reference, can be read on the SEC website or at the SEC offices mentioned under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Each time we or the selling stockholders sell securities pursuant to this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement containing specific information about the terms of the securities being offered. The prospectus supplement may add, update or change information in this prospectus. If the information in the prospectus is inconsistent with a prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in that prospectus supplement. You should read both this prospectus and, if applicable, any prospectus supplement. See “Where You Can Find More Information” for more information.

We have not authorized any dealer, salesman or other person to give any information or to make any representation other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. You must not rely upon any information or representation not contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. This prospectus and any prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the registered securities to which they relate, nor do this prospectus and any prospectus supplement constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate on any date subsequent to the date set forth on the front of such document or that any information we have incorporated by reference is correct on any date subsequent to the date of the document incorporated by reference, even though this prospectus and any prospectus supplement is delivered or securities are sold on a later date.

Unless expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, the “The Chefs’ Warehouse,” “we,” “our,” “our Company,” “the Company” or “us” as used in this prospectus refer to The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The information in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and are subject to the safe harbor created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide our current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not statements of historical fact. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future events, including, among other things, discussion and analysis of our future financial condition, results of operations, strategic plans and objectives, cost management, liquidity and ability to refinance our indebtedness as it matures, anticipated capital expenditures (and access to capital) required to complete projects, amounts of cash distributions to our stockholders in the future, if any, and other matters. Words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates” and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control, are difficult to predict and/or could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve inherent uncertainty and may ultimately prove to be incorrect or false. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise may be required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or actual operating results. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the following:

This list of risks and uncertainties, however, is only a summary of some of the most important factors and is not intended to be exhaustive. You should carefully review the risks that are set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in any accompanying prospectus supplement, and in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. New factors that are not currently known to us or of which we are currently unaware may also emerge from time to time that could materially and adversely affect us.

Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of such factors, nor can we assess the impact of any such factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

THE COMPANY

We are a premier distributor of specialty food products in the United States and Canada. We are focused on serving the specific needs of chefs who own and/or operate some of the leading menu-driven independent restaurants, fine dining establishments, country clubs, hotels, caterers, culinary schools, bakeries, patisseries, chocolatiers, cruise lines, casinos and specialty food stores in the United States and Canada. We believe that we have a distinct competitive advantage in serving these customers as a result of our extensive selection of distinctive and hard-to-find specialty and center-of-the-plate food products, our product knowledge and our customer service.

We define specialty food products as gourmet foods and ingredients that are of the highest grade, quality or style as measured by their uniqueness, exotic origin or particular processing method. Our product portfolio includes over 34,000 stock-keeping units (“SKUs”) from more than 1,700 different suppliers and is comprised primarily of imported and domestic specialty food products, such as artisan charcuterie, specialty cheeses, unique oils and vinegars, truffles, caviar, chocolate and pastry products. We also offer an extensive line of center-of-the-plate products, including custom cut beef, seafood and hormone-free poultry, as well as broadline food products, such as cooking oils, butter, eggs, milk and flour. When marketing our products to our customers, we focus our efforts on chefs, and we believe that, by offering a wide selection of both distinctive and hard-to-find products, together with center-of-the-plate proteins and staple broadline food products, we are able to differentiate ourselves from larger, traditional broadline foodservice distributors, while simultaneously enabling our customers to utilize us as their primary foodservice distributor. Additionally, as a result of our acquisition of Allen Brothers in December 2013, we market certain of our center-of-the-plate products directly to consumers through a mail and e-commerce platform.

Since the formation of our predecessor in 1985, we have expanded our distribution network, product selection and customer base both organically and through acquisitions. From December 30, 2011 to December 25, 2015, our net revenues increased from approximately $401 million to approximately $1,059 million. During these periods and in prior years, our sales to both new and existing customers have increased as a result of an increase in the breadth and depth of our product portfolio, our commitment to customer service, the efforts of our experienced and sophisticated sales professionals, the increased use of technology in the operations and management of our business and our ongoing consolidation of the fragmented specialty foodservice distribution industry. Since April 2012, we have completed seven acquisitions which have increased our penetration in existing markets, expanded our footprint into new markets and/or enhanced our product capabilities. The up-front cash purchase prices for these seven acquisitions ranged from $2.0 million to $123.9 million, resulting in aggregate up-front cash consideration of more than $275.0 million, which we funded with borrowings under our existing senior secured credit facilities, a portion of which we repaid with proceeds from the issuance of $125.0 million of senior secured notes in April 2013 and April 2015, and the proceeds of a common stock offering completed in September 2013.

Excluding our direct-to-consumer business, we currently serve more than 26,000 customer locations in our fifteen primary geographic markets across the United States and Canada, including New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami, Portland, Seattle, Columbus, Cincinnati, Chicago, Sacramento, Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto. By leveraging an experienced and sophisticated sales force of approximately 416 sales and customer service professionals, we maintain collaborative relationships with thousands of chefs while also acting as a critical marketing arm and route-to-market for many of our suppliers. We operate 25 distribution centers and provide service six days a week in many of our service areas, utilizing our fleet of delivery trucks to fill our customers’ orders.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES WE MAY SELL

We may offer and sell, at any time and from time to time:

The terms of any securities we offer will be determined at the time of sale. We may issue debt securities that are exchangeable for or convertible into common stock or any of the other securities that may be sold under this prospectus. When particular securities are offered, a supplement to this prospectus will be filed with the SEC, which will describe the terms of the offering and sale of the offered securities.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We will retain broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered by us hereby. Unless otherwise indicated in any prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale by us of the securities under this prospectus for general corporate purposes, which may include the repayment or refinancing of all or a portion of any indebtedness outstanding at a particular time, increasing our working capital, acquisitions and capital expenditures. Pending the application of the net proceeds from the sale of securities offered by us hereby, we expect to invest the proceeds in short-term, interest bearing instruments or other investment-grade securities. We will not receive any net proceeds from the sale of shares by selling stockholders.

SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

This prospectus also relates to the possible resale by certain of our current and former executive officers, employees and directors, who we refer to in this prospectus as the “selling stockholders,” of up to 2,000,000 shares of our common stock that were issued and outstanding prior to the original date of filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The selling stockholders originally acquired the shares of our common stock included in this prospectus through (1) several private placements of membership interests in our predecessor company that were converted into shares of our common stock in connection with the conversion of that predecessor company to The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. in connection with our initial public offering, (2) open-market acquisitions or (3) issuances of shares of our common stock pursuant to our 2011 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan. Information about the selling stockholders, where applicable, including their identities and the number of shares of common stock to be registered on their behalf, will be set forth in a prospectus supplement, or in documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus that we file with the SEC. The selling stockholders shall not sell any shares of our common stock pursuant to this prospectus until we have identified such selling stockholders and the shares being offered for resale by such selling stockholders in a subsequent prospectus supplement. However, the selling stockholders may sell or transfer all or a portion of their shares of our common stock pursuant to any available exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

Set forth below is our ratio of earnings to fixed charges for the periods indicated:

For purposes of calculating the ratio of earnings to fixed charges, “earnings” consists of pre-tax income from continuing operations; plus fixed charges; minus capitalized interest. “Fixed charges” is the sum of expensed and capitalized interest and amortized premiums, discounts and capitalized expenses related to indebtedness.

As of the date of this prospectus, we have no preferred stock outstanding and, accordingly, the ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends is the same as to the ratio of earnings to fixed charges and is not disclosed separately.

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

As of the date of this prospectus, our Certificate of Incorporation authorizes us to issue 100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. As of June 1, 2016, 26,420,208 shares of common stock were outstanding and no shares of preferred stock were outstanding.

The following summary describes the material terms of our capital stock. The description of capital stock is qualified by reference to our Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws, which are incorporated by reference as exhibits into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Common Stock

Holders of our common stock, which has a par value of $0.01, are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders and do not have cumulative voting rights. Accordingly, holders of a majority of the shares of our common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors may elect all of the directors standing for election. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends, if any, as may be declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available therefor, subject to any preferential dividend rights of outstanding preferred stock. Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably our net assets available after the payment of all debts and other liabilities and subject to the prior rights of any outstanding preferred stock. Holders of our common stock have no preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of our common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock which we may designate and issue in the future.

Preferred Stock

Our board of directors is authorized, subject to any limitations prescribed by law, without stockholder approval, to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series at any time or from time to time. Each such series of preferred stock will have rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, as will be determined by our board of directors.

Our board of directors could authorize the issuance of shares of preferred stock with terms and conditions which could have the effect of discouraging a takeover or other transaction that might involve a premium price for holders of shares of our common stock or which holders of our common stock might believe to be in their best interests.

Certain Anti-Takeover Matters

Delaware Business Combination Statute

Under Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or the DGCL, a corporation is prohibited from engaging in any business combination with a stockholder who, together with its affiliates or

associates, owns (or who is an affiliate or associate of the corporation and within a three-year period did own) 15% or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock, or an interested stockholder, for a three-year period following the time the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:

A business combination generally includes:

The provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL do not apply to a corporation if, subject to certain requirements, the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation contain a provision expressly electing not to be governed by the provisions of the statute or the corporation does not have voting stock listed on a national securities exchange or held of record by more than 2,000 stockholders.

Because we have “opted out” of Section 203 of the DGCL in our Certificate of Incorporation, the statute will not apply to business combinations involving us.

Provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

Under our Certificate of Incorporation, any vacancy on our board of directors, however occurring, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of the board, may only be filled by vote of a majority of the directors then serving, or by the sole remaining director. The limitations on filling of vacancies could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or of discouraging a third party from acquiring, control of us.

Our Certification of Incorporation also provides that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders at an annual meeting or special meeting of stockholders may be taken only if it is properly brought before such meeting and may not be taken by written consent in lieu of a meeting. Our Bylaws provide that special meetings of the stockholders may only be called by the chairman of the board of directors, the chief executive officer, the secretary, or the board of directors. Under our Bylaws, in order for any matter to be considered “properly brought” before a meeting, a stockholder must comply with certain requirements regarding advance notice to the company. The foregoing provisions could have the effect of delaying until the next stockholders meeting stockholder actions which are favored by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities. These provisions also may discourage another person or entity from making a tender offer for our common stock because such person or entity, even if it acquired a majority of our outstanding voting securities, would be able to take action as a stockholder (such as electing new directors or approving a merger) only at a duly called stockholders meeting and not by written consent.

The DGCL provides, generally, that the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares entitled to vote on any matter is required to amend a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, unless a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, as the case may be, requires a greater percentage. Our Certificate of Incorporation does not require a greater percentage.

Listing

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “CHEF.”

Transfer Agent and Registrar

We have appointed American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC to be the transfer agent and registrar for our common stock.

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any prospectus supplement, is only a summary of the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, which consist of warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock or debt securities in one or more series. Warrants may be offered independently or together with common stock, preferred stock or debt securities offered by any prospectus supplement, and may be attached to or separate from those securities. While the terms we have summarized below may generally apply to any future warrants we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any warrants that we may offer in more detail in a prospectus supplement. The terms of any warrants we offer under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below.

We will issue the warrants under a warrant agreement which we will enter into with a warrant agent to be selected by us. We will file forms of the warrant agreements and the related warrant certificates for each type of warrant we may offer under this prospectus with the SEC and such documents shall be incorporated into the registration statement on Form S-3 of which this prospectus is a part. We urge you to read the prospectus supplements related to the warrants that we issue under this prospectus, as well as the complete warrant agreements and related warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants.

We use the term “warrant agreement” to refer to any of these warrant agreements. We use the term “warrant agent” to refer to the warrant agent under any of these warrant agreements. The warrant agent will act solely as an agent of ours in connection with the warrants and will not act as an agent for the holders or beneficial owners of the warrants.

General

As of May 31, 2016, we have no warrants issued and outstanding.

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms relating to a series of warrants. If warrants for the purchase of debt securities are offered, the prospectus supplement will describe the terms of such warrants, including, to the extent applicable:

If warrants for the purchase of common stock or preferred stock are offered, the prospectus supplement will describe the terms of such warrants, including, to the extent applicable:

Until any warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock are exercised, holders of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the underlying common stock or preferred stock, including any rights to receive dividends or to exercise any voting rights, except to the extent set forth under “Description of Warrants—Warrant Adjustments” below.

Exercise of Warrants; Amendments; Supplements to the Warrant Agreements

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the manner in which a holder of warrants may exercise them and the manner in which we may amend or supplement a warrant agreement.

Warrant Adjustments

The applicable prospectus supplement will indicate the circumstances under which the exercise price of, and the number of securities covered by, a common stock warrant or preferred stock warrant may be adjusted proportionately if we subdivide or combine our common stock or preferred stock, as applicable.

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

We summarize below some of the provisions that will apply to the debt securities unless the applicable prospectus supplement provides otherwise. This summary may not contain all information that is important to you. The complete terms of the debt securities will be contained in the applicable notes. The notes will be included or incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You should read the provisions of the notes. You should also read the prospectus supplement, which will contain additional information and which may update or change some of the information below.

General

We will issue any senior notes under a senior indenture which we will enter into with the trustee named in the senior indenture. We will issue any subordinated notes under a subordinated indenture which we will enter into with the trustee named in the subordinated indenture. We have filed forms of these documents as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We use the term “indentures” to refer to both the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture. The indentures will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended. We use the term “trustee” to refer to either the senior trustee or the subordinated trustee, as applicable.

The following summaries of material provisions of the senior notes, the subordinated notes and the indentures are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the indenture applicable to a

particular series of debt securities. We urge you to read the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus related to each series of debt securities that we sell under this prospectus, as well as the complete indentures, and any supplements thereto, that contain the terms of the debt securities of that series. Except as we may otherwise indicate, the terms of the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are identical.

We may issue, from time to time, debt securities, in one or more series, that will consist of either our senior debt (“senior debt securities”), our senior subordinated debt, our subordinated debt or our junior subordinated debt (any senior subordinated debt, subordinated debt, and junior subordinated debt we issue from time to time under the subordinated indenture, collectively, the “subordinated debt securities”). Debt securities, whether senior, senior subordinated, subordinated or junior subordinated, may be issued as convertible debt securities or exchangeable debt securities.

The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part do not limit the amount of debt securities which we may issue, including senior debt securities, senior subordinated debt securities, subordinated debt securities and junior subordinated debt securities, and do not limit us form issuing any other debt, including secured and unsecured debt. We may issue debt securities up to an aggregate principal amount as we may authorize from time to time which debt securities may be denominated in any currency or currency unit designated by us. The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to (a) a supplemental indenture, (b) a resolution of our board of directors, or (c) an officers’ certificate pursuant to authority granted under a resolution of our board of directors. The prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any debt securities being offered, including:

We may issue debt securities at a discount to their stated principal amount. Even if we do not issue the debt securities with a discount to their stated principal amount, for United States federal income tax purposes the debt securities may be deemed to have been issued with a discount because of certain interest payment characteristics. We will describe in any applicable prospectus supplement the material United States federal income tax considerations applicable to debt securities issued at a discount or deemed to be issued at a discount, and will describe any material United States federal income tax considerations that may be applicable to the particular debt securities.

The debt securities will represent our general obligations. We are a non-operating holding company and almost all of the operating assets of us and our consolidated subsidiaries are owned by our subsidiaries. We rely primarily on dividends from such subsidiaries to meet our obligations. We are a legal entity separate and distinct from our subsidiaries. Because we are a holding company, our right to participate in any distribution of assets of any subsidiary upon the subsidiary’s liquidation or reorganization or otherwise is subject to the prior claims of creditors of the subsidiary, except to the extent we may ourselves be recognized as a creditor of that subsidiary. Accordingly, the debt securities will be effectively subordinated to all existing and future liabilities of our subsidiaries, and holders of the debt securities should look only to our assets for payments on the debt securities.

Senior Debt Securities

Senior debt securities will rank equally and pari passu with all of our other unsecured and unsubordinated debt from time to time outstanding.

Subordinated Debt Securities

The subordinated debt securities will be subordinate and junior in priority of payment to certain of our other indebtedness to the extent described in a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, and the subordinated indenture filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part may be modified by a supplemental indenture to reflect such subordination provisions.

Conversion or Exchange Rights

Debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for our other securities or property. The terms and conditions of conversion or exchange will be set forth in the supplemental indenture, board resolution or officers’ certificate related to that series of debt securities and will be described in the relevant prospectus supplement. The terms will include, among others, the following:

Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets

The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part prohibit us from merging into or consolidating with any other person or selling, leasing or conveying substantially all of our assets and the assets of our subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to any person, unless:

The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part provide that upon any consolidation or merger with or into any other person or any sale, conveyance, lease, or other transfer of all or substantially all of our or our subsidiaries’ assets to any person, the successor person shall succeed, and be substituted for, us under the indenture and each series of outstanding debt securities, and we shall be relieved of all obligations under the indenture and each series of outstanding debt securities to the extent we were the predecessor person.

Events of Default and Remedies

When we use the term “Event of Default” in the indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part with respect to the debt securities of any series, we mean:

No Event of Default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an Event of Default with respect to any other series of debt securities. Unless otherwise provided by the terms of an applicable series of debt securities, if an Event of Default under the indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part occurs with respect to the debt securities of any series and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of not less than 51% of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may by written notice require us to repay immediately the entire principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series (or such lesser amount as may be provided in the terms of the securities), together with

all accrued and unpaid interest and premium, if any. In the case of an Event of Default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an Event of Default.

After a declaration of acceleration, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind this accelerated payment requirement if all existing Events of Default, except for nonpayment of the principal on the debt securities of that series that has become due solely as a result of the accelerated payment requirement, have been cured or waived and if the rescission of acceleration would not conflict with any judgment or decree. The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series also have the right to waive past defaults, except a default in paying principal or interest on any outstanding debt security, or in respect of a covenant or a provision that cannot be modified or amended without the consent of all holders of the debt securities of that series.

The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part provide that no holder of any debt security issued under the indenture may seek to institute a proceeding with respect to the indenture unless such holder has previously given written notice to the trustee of a continuing Event of Default, the holders of not less than 51% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the series have made a written request to the trustee to institute proceedings in respect of the Event of Default, the holder or holders have offered reasonable indemnity to the trustee and the trustee has failed to institute such proceeding within 60 days after it received this notice. In addition, within this 60-day period the trustee must not have received directions inconsistent with this written request by holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series. These limitations do not apply, however, to a suit instituted by a holder of a debt security for the enforcement of the payment of principal, interest or any premium on or after the due dates for such payment.

The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part provide that during the existence of an Event of Default actually known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee is required to exercise the rights and powers vested in it under the applicable indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise as a prudent person would under the circumstances in the conduct of that person’s own affairs. If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the trustee is not under any obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers at the request or direction of any of the holders unless the holders have offered to the trustee security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the trustee. Subject to certain provisions, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee, or exercising any trust, or power conferred on the trustee.

The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part provide that the trustee will, within 90 days after receiving notice of any default, give notice of the default to the holders of the debt securities of that series, unless the default was already cured or waived. Unless there is a default in paying principal, interest or any premium when due, the trustee can withhold giving notice to the holders if it determines in good faith that the withholding of notice is in the interest of the holders of the debt securities. In the case of a default specified in clause (4) above describing Events of Default, no notice of default to the holders of the debt securities of that series will be given until 60 days after the occurrence of the Event of Default.

The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part require us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee a statement as to compliance with the indenture. The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part provide that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any series of any Event of Default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if it in good faith determines that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities.

Modification and Waiver

The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part may be amended or modified without the consent of any holder of debt securities in order to:

The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part provide that other amendments and modifications of the indenture or the debt securities issued may be made with the consent of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the amendment or modification. However, no modification or amendment may, without the consent of the holder of each outstanding debt security affected:

Satisfaction, Discharge and Covenant Defeasance

The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part provide that we may terminate our obligations under the indenture with respect to the outstanding debt securities of any series, when:

all debt securities of any series issued that have been authenticated and delivered have been delivered to the trustee for cancellation; or

all the debt securities of any series issued that have not been delivered to the trustee for cancellation have become due and payable, will become due and payable within one year, or are to be called for redemption within one year and we have made arrangements satisfactory to the trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by such trustee in our name and at our expense, and in each case, we have irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the trustee sufficient funds to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on the series of debt securities; and

The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part provide that we may elect to have our obligations under the indenture discharged with respect to the outstanding debt securities of any series (“legal defeasance”). Legal defeasance means that we will be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire indebtedness represented by the outstanding debt securities of such series under the indenture, except for:

In addition, the indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, provide that we may elect to have our obligations released with respect to certain covenants in the indenture (“covenant defeasance”). If we so elect, any failure to comply with these obligations will not constitute a default or an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of any series. In the event covenant defeasance occurs, certain events, not including non-payment, bankruptcy and insolvency events, described under “Events of Default and Remedies” will no longer constitute an Event of Default for that series.

In order to exercise either legal defeasance or covenant defeasance with respect to outstanding debt securities of any series:

in each case sufficient, in the written opinion (with respect to U.S. or equivalent government obligations or a combination of money and U.S. or equivalent government obligations, as applicable) of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants to pay and discharge, and which shall be applied by the trustee to pay and discharge, all of the principal (including mandatory sinking fund payments), interest and any premium at due date or maturity;

Covenants

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement any restrictive covenants applicable to any issue of debt securities.

Paying Agent and Registrar

The trustee will initially act as paying agent and registrar for all debt securities. We may change the paying agent or registrar for any series of debt securities without prior notice, and we or any of our subsidiaries may act as paying agent or registrar.

Forms of Securities

Each debt security will be represented either by a certificate issued in definitive form to a particular investor or by one or more global securities representing the entire issuance of the series of debt securities. Certificated securities will be issued in definitive form and global securities will be issued in registered form. Definitive securities name you or your nominee as the owner of the security, and in order to transfer or exchange these securities or to receive payments other than interest or other interim payments, you or your nominee must physically deliver the securities to the trustee, registrar, paying agent or other agent, as applicable. Global securities name a depositary or its nominee as the owner of the debt securities represented by these global securities. The depositary maintains a computerized system that will reflect each investor’s beneficial ownership of the securities through an account maintained by the investor with its broker/dealer, bank, trust company or other representative, as we explain more fully below.

Global Securities

We may issue the registered debt securities in the form of one or more fully registered global securities that will be deposited with a depositary or its custodian identified in the applicable prospectus supplement and registered in the name of that depositary or its nominee. In those cases, one or more registered global securities will be issued in a denomination or aggregate denominations equal to the portion of the aggregate principal or face

amount of the securities to be represented by registered global securities. Unless and until it is exchanged in whole for securities in definitive registered form, a registered global security may not be transferred except as a whole by and among the depositary for the registered global security, the nominees of the depositary or any successors of the depositary or those nominees.

If not described below, any specific terms of the depositary arrangement with respect to any securities to be represented by a registered global security will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to those securities. We anticipate that the following provisions will apply to all depositary arrangements.

Ownership of beneficial interests in a registered global security will be limited to persons, called participants, that have accounts with the depositary or persons that may hold interests through participants. Upon the issuance of a registered global security, the depositary will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the participants’ accounts with the respective principal or face amounts of the securities beneficially owned by the participants. Any dealers, underwriters or agents participating in the distribution of the securities will designate the accounts to be credited. Ownership of beneficial interests in a registered global security will be shown on, and the transfer of ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by the depositary, with respect to interests of participants, and on the records of participants, with respect to interests of persons holding through participants. The laws of some states may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of these securities in definitive form. These laws may impair your ability to own, transfer or pledge beneficial interests in registered global securities.

The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part provide that so long as the depositary, or its nominee, is the registered owner of a registered global security, that depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner or holder of the securities represented by the registered global security for all purposes under the indenture. Except as described below, owners of beneficial interests in a registered global security will not be entitled to have the securities represented by the registered global security registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the securities in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders of the securities under the indenture. Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in a registered global security must rely on the procedures of the depositary for that registered global security and, if that person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which the person owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a holder under the indenture. We understand that under existing industry practices, if we request any action of holders or if an owner of a beneficial interest in a registered global security desires to give or take any action that a holder is entitled to give or take under the indenture, the depositary for the registered global security would authorize the participants holding the relevant beneficial interests to give or take that action, and the participants would authorize beneficial owners owning through them to give or take that action or would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners holding through them.

Principal, premium, if any, and interest payments on debt securities represented by a registered global security registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee will be made to the depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner of the registered global security. Neither we nor the trustee or any other agent of ours or the trustee will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the registered global security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to those beneficial ownership interests.

We expect that the depositary for any of the securities represented by a registered global security, upon receipt of any payment of principal, premium, interest or other distribution of underlying securities or other property to holders on that registered global security, will immediately credit participants’ accounts in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in that registered global security as shown on the records of the depositary. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in a registered global security held through participants will be governed by standing customer instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with the securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name,” and will be the responsibility of those participants.

If the depositary for any of these securities represented by a registered global security is at any time unwilling or unable to continue as depositary or ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, and a successor depositary registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act is not appointed by us within 90 days, we will issue securities in definitive form in exchange for the registered global security that had been held

by the depositary. Any securities issued in definitive form in exchange for a registered global security will be registered in the name or names that the depositary gives to the trustee or other relevant agent of ours or theirs. It is expected that the depositary’s instructions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the registered global security that had been held by the depositary.

Unless we state otherwise in a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) will act as depositary for each series of debt securities issued as global securities. DTC has advised us that DTC is a limited-purpose trust company created to hold securities for its participating organizations (collectively, the “Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of transactions in those securities between Participants through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of its Participants. The Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations. Access to DTC’s system is also available to other entities such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a Participant, either directly or indirectly (collectively, the “Indirect Participants”). Persons who are not Participants may beneficially own securities held by or on behalf of DTC only through the Participants or the Indirect Participants. The ownership interests in, and transfers of ownership interests in, each security held by or on behalf of DTC are recorded on the records of the Participants and the Indirect Participants.

Governing Law

The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and each series of debt securities are governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other securities described in this prospectus in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date. The applicable prospectus supplement may describe:

This summary of certain general terms of units and any summary description of units in the applicable prospectus supplement do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to all provisions of the applicable unit agreement and, if applicable, collateral arrangements and depositary arrangements relating to such units. The forms of the unit agreements and other documents relating to a particular issue of units will be filed with the SEC each time we issue units, and you should read those documents for provisions that may be important to you.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

Initial Offering and Sale of Securities

Unless otherwise set forth in a prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus, we, or the selling stockholders, may sell the securities being offered hereby, from time to time, by one or more of the following methods:

Offerings of securities covered by this prospectus also may be made into an existing trading market for those securities in transactions at other than a fixed price, either:

Those at-the-market offerings, if any, will be conducted by dealers acting as principal or agent.

The selling stockholders may also sell their shares of common stock in accordance with Rule 144 of the Securities Act, or any other available exemption, rather than by use of this prospectus.

The prospectus supplement with respect to the offered securities will set forth the terms of the offering of the offered securities, including:

Any underwriter, agent or dealer involved in the offer and sale of any series of the securities will be named in the prospectus supplement.

The distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions:

Each prospectus supplement will set forth the manner and terms of an offering of securities including:

Sales Through Underwriters

If underwriters are used in the sale of some or all of the securities covered by this prospectus, the underwriters will acquire the securities for their own account. The underwriters may resell the securities, either directly to the public or to securities dealers, at various times in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions. Unless indicated otherwise in a prospectus supplement, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the securities of the series offered if any of the securities are purchased.

Any initial public offering price and any concessions allowed or reallowed to dealers may be changed intermittently.

Sales Through Agents

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, when securities are sold through an agent, the designated agent will agree, for the period of its appointment as agent, to use its best efforts to sell the securities for our or, as applicable, the selling stockholders’ account and will receive commissions from us or the selling stockholders as will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Securities bought in accordance with a redemption or repayment under their terms also may be offered and sold, if so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, in connection with a remarketing by one or more firms acting as principals for their own accounts or as agents for us or, as applicable, the selling stockholders. Any remarketing firm will be identified and the terms of its agreement, if any, with us or the selling stockholders and its compensation will be described in the prospectus supplement. Remarketing firms may be deemed to be underwriters in connection with the securities remarketed by them.

If so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we may authorize agents, underwriters or dealers to solicit offers by certain specified institutions to purchase securities at a price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a future date specified in the prospectus supplement. These contracts will be subject only to those conditions set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, and the prospectus supplement will set forth the commissions payable by us for solicitation of these contracts.

Direct Sales

We, or the selling stockholders, may also sell offered securities directly to institutional investors or others. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved.

General Information

Broker-dealers, agents or underwriters may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from us or the selling stockholders and/or the purchasers of securities for whom such broker-dealers, agents or underwriters may act as agents or to whom they sell as principal, or both (this compensation to a particular broker-dealer might be in excess of customary commissions).

Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in any distribution of the offered securities may be deemed “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act, so any discounts or commissions they receive in connection with the distribution may be deemed to be underwriting compensation. Those underwriters and agents may be entitled, under their agreements with us or any selling stockholder, to indemnification by us or a selling stockholder against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution by us or a selling stockholder to payments that they may be required to make in respect of those civil liabilities. Various of those underwriters or agents may be customers of, engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us or our affiliates in the ordinary course of business. We will identify any underwriters or agents, and describe their compensation, in a prospectus supplement. Any institutional investors or others that purchase offered securities directly, and then resell the securities, may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts or commissions received by them from us or a selling stockholder and any profit on the resale of the securities by them may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act.

We will file a supplement to this prospectus, if required, pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, if we enter into any material arrangement with a broker, dealer, agent or underwriter for the sale of securities through a block trade, special offering, exchange distribution or secondary distribution or a purchase by a broker or dealer. Such prospectus supplement will disclose:

In order to facilitate the offering of certain securities under this prospectus or an applicable prospectus supplement, certain persons participating in the offering of those securities may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of those securities during and after the offering of those securities. Specifically, the underwriters of those securities may over-allot or otherwise create a short position in those securities for their own account by selling more of those securities than have been sold to them by us and may elect to cover any such short position by purchasing those securities in the open market.

In addition, the underwriters may stabilize or maintain the price of those securities by bidding for or purchasing those securities in the open market and may impose penalty bids, under which selling concessions allowed to syndicate members or other broker-dealers participating in the offering are reclaimed if securities previously distributed in the offering are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions or otherwise. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. The imposition of a penalty bid may also affect the price of securities to the extent that it discourages resales of the securities. No representation is made as to the magnitude or effect of any such stabilization or other transactions. Such transactions, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

In order to comply with the securities laws of certain states, if applicable, the securities must be sold in such jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in certain states the securities may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.

Rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange Act generally requires that trades in the secondary market settle in three business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Your prospectus supplement may provide that the original issue date for your securities may be more than three scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities. Accordingly, in such a case, if you wish to trade securities on any date prior to the third business day before the original issue date for your securities, you will be required, by virtue of the fact that your securities initially are expected to settle in more than three scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities, to make alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.

This prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable pricing supplement in electronic format may be made available on the Internet sites of, or through other online services maintained by, us and/or one or more of the agents and/or dealers participating in an offering of securities, or by their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may be able to view offering terms online and, depending upon the particular agent or dealer, prospective investors may be allowed to place orders online.

Other than this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable pricing supplement in electronic format, the information on our or any agent’s or dealer’s website and any information contained in any other website maintained by any agent or dealer:

There can be no assurance that we, or the selling stockholders, will sell all or any of the securities offered by this prospectus.

This prospectus may also be used in connection with any issuance of common stock, preferred stock or debt securities upon exercise of a warrant if such issuance is not exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

In addition, we may issue the securities as a dividend or distribution or in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders. In some cases, we or dealers acting with us or on our behalf may also purchase securities and reoffer them to the public by one or more of the methods described above. This prospectus may be used in connection with any offering of our securities through any of these methods or other methods described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

LEGAL MATTERS

Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the validity of the securities and certain other legal matters relating to the offer and sale of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Shearman & Sterling LLP, New York, New York.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of the Company as of December 25, 2015 and December 26, 2014, and for each of the fiscal years in the three-year period ended December 25, 2015, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 25, 2015, have been incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2015 in reliance upon the reports of BDO USA, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The audited combined financial statements of Del Monte Capitol Meat Company, T.J. Foodservice Company, Inc. and TJ Seafood, LLC as of December 27, 2014 and December 28, 2013, and for each of the fiscal years in the three-year period ended December 27, 2014 have been incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on May 20, 2015, in reliance upon the report of BDO USA, LLP, an independent auditor, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 to obtain information on the operation of the public reference room. We also make available, free of charge, through our website our annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information, including amendments thereto, as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Our website address is www.chefswarehouse.com. Our website address is provided as an inactive textual reference only. Information contained on or accessible through our website is not part of this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement and is therefore not incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any filings we will make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of the offering of securities hereby.

The following documents filed with the SEC are incorporated by reference in this prospectus:

Notwithstanding the foregoing, information that we furnish under Items 2.02 and 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K, including the related exhibits under Item 9.01, is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or any prospectus supplement.

Any statement contained in a document that is incorporated by reference will be modified or superseded for all purposes to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement, or in any other document that is subsequently filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference, modifies, or is contrary to that previous statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed a part of this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement, except as so modified or superseded. Since information that we later file with the SEC will update and supersede previously incorporated information, you should look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement or in any documents previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded.

We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered, upon written or oral request, at no cost, a copy of any and all of the information that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

Requests for such documents shall be directed to:

The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc.
100 East Ridge Road
Ridgefield, Connecticut 06877
Attn: Corporate Secretary
Telephone: (203) 894-1345

1,900,000 Shares

THE CHEFS’ WAREHOUSE, INC.

Common Stock

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

Jefferies

           , 2017