Foxtrot to Reopen First Store
Foxtrot Cafe & Market, the Chicago-based grocery/convenience store chain that shut down operations unexpectedly in April, will reopen its first location in Chicago's Gold Coast on Sept. 5 with an expanded coffee experience and reimagined food offering that will span all stores.
This news comes months after the abrupt store closures under former parent company Outfox Hospitality, which was a new entity born from Foxtrot's merger with Dom’s Kitchen & Market, the Chicago-based grocer that also shuttered operations at the same time as Foxtrot. The shutdown affected 33 Foxtrot locations and two Dom's grocery stores in the Chicago, Dallas, Austin (Texas) and Washington, D.C., markets.
Foxtrot, which launched in 2013, is now being revived by its co-founders.
The Gold Coast Foxtrot will include an enhanced cafe experience, including an expanded, full-day menu featuring breakfast, lunch and afternoon offerings. The menu will include its signature breakfast tacos and introduce made-fresh-daily panini sandwiches, salads and bowls for lunch, alongside an assortment of freshly baked cookies.
The cafe will also offer exclusive blends, such as The Milk Man blend and Early Train espresso. In addition, Foxtrot will continue to offer retail bean and CPG selections from longtime Chicago roasters and partners, including Metric and Kyoto Black.
"Our new coffee and food menus are a true reflection of Foxtrot's founding principle: taking the ingredients we're passionate about, partnering with the best purveyors, and making them a special part of our day — and yours — every day," Foxtrot chairman and co-founder Mike LaVitola, said in a company statement on the reopening.
The stores will also reintroduce “customer favorites,” such as its gummy selections, along with its curated market featuring the new products from small and local makers, alongside the innovative CPG brands.
Foxtrot is offering special promotions to celebrate the grand opening. On Sept. 5, the retailer will give away free coffee from 6-10 a.m., along with free samples of its new cookies and berry chai refresher.
More Foxtrot locations are scheduled to reopen in Chicago and Dallas through 2025, per the statement.
A Foxtrot spokesperson told P2PI sibling brand Progressive Grocer that shoppers can expect a sense of familiarity from the reopened stores. They said stores "will maintain the same layout and merchandising, focusing on small and local makers."