CHICAGO — Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market stores abruptly closed across Chicago Tuesday, nearly five months after the two local upscale grocery businesses announced a blockbuster merger.
Customers arriving at Foxtrot and Dom’s locations Tuesday were greeted by signs saying the stores have closed permanently and thanking customers for their patronage.
Dom’s said in a statement that all 33 Foxtrot stores and two Dom’s stores were closing, effective Tuesday. That includes Foxtrot locations in Dallas, Austin and Washington, D.C.
“We explored many avenues to continue the business but found no viable option despite good faith and exhaustive efforts,” the company said in a statement. “We understand that this news may come as a shock, and we apologize for any inconvenience it may cause. We genuinely appreciate your understanding during this challenging time.”
Foxtrot, the upscale convenience store and cafe, was a startup founded in Chicago, opening its first store in 2015 in Fulton Market, according to Crain’s. After multiple fundraising rounds, Foxtrot expanded to other Chicago neighborhoods as well as Texas and Washington, D.C. The company was also expanding locally, and had at least one failed bid to open in Andersonville after fierce pushback from small business owners in the Far North Side neighborhood.
Dom’s, founded by grocery industry veteran Bob Mariano, opened its first store in Lincoln Park in 2021 before expanding to Old Town the following year. The Old Town Dom’s took over the building that was home to independent grocer Plum Market, a move Plum Market’s owner claimed was a “back-door” deal. Dom’s had plans to open 13 more locations by 2025, including in River North.
Foxtrot and Dom’s announced a merger in late November, creating the new entity Outfox Hospitality that would contribute to both brands’ growth locally and nationally, company leaders said at the time. The merger came after stock market woes caused Foxtrot to issue layoffs, Crain’s reported.
The abrupt closure left employees and customers in shock Tuesday, with many trying to visit the stores one last time while employees were seen hugging and leaving with merchandise. Some Dom’s employees even shared a collective drink outside the store early Tuesday after hearing their jobs were gone.
Outside the Division Street Foxtrot in Wicker Park on Tuesday morning, customers expressed shock and disappointment over the chain’s abrupt closure.
Bella Chapa said she came to Foxtrot almost every day and was part of the company’s membership program. She said she was “devastated” after she heard the closure news on Tuesday.
“I partially moved to Chicago for Foxtrot. Like, my apartment is literally two doors down and I saw this listing and I was like ‘oh my god, that’s so convenient.’ They have the best selection of everything,” she said. “I had a budget, in my line items, for Foxtrot.”
Neighbor Hallie Gibbons also lives close by and said she came to the Division Street Foxtrot “literally every day.”
She wanted to swing by one last time on Tuesday to buy some company merch before they closed, although was too late. Now, she’s wondering how, if ever, she’ll be able to use a $100 Foxtrot gift card someone gave her.
“I feel like there was really no heads up,” Gibbons said. “I loved it and I hope they replace it with something here.”
At the Wicker Park Foxtrot, barista Kayla Pineda said she was totally blindsided by the closure when her manager called her this morning with the news. She’s hoping to at least get paid out for her remaining sick hours and plans to file for unemployment benefits as soon as possible.
“Luckily I always keep an updated resume. But for other people that are just counting on the job, people who don’t have side hustles or anything like that, this is just their their main income,” she said. “It really sucks.”
On top of store employees, there are about 100 full-time Outfox workers in Chicago, according to Eater. No closure notices for the company were made on the state’s WARN report, which tracks mass layoffs. Companies in Illinois with 75 or more full-time workers are legally required to give 60-day notice to employees of mass firings — which still applies even if the company files for bankruptcy.
Over two dozen neighbors gathered outside of Dom’s Market, 2730 N. Halsted St., in hopes of shopping one last time before the grocer was slated to close at noon. But management stopped letting people in at least 15 minutes before that. They declined to comment to media.
One employee was seen outside leaving with bags full of the store’s liquor. He said the closure was sudden, leaving people angry and scrambling for work.
“A palpable air of devastation,” neighborhood shopper Steven Koch said. “There’s this feeling of whiplash. Some employees are clearly drunk at this point, filling bags with as many groceries as they can. … It’s a horrifying scene. The carpet got pulled out from underneath them.”
Amelia Merchant and her friends stopped by and were given free mugs and bags from the store.
“We’re here because we can’t really believe it, and wanted to see for ourselves,” Merchant said. “It was a nice place to shop, they had prepared food, it was organized, the selection was good, it was more upscale to Jewel, and it was what was closest to me.”
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