A Comeback for Foxtrot? Some Stores Will Reopen

Founder Mike LaVitola will reopen stores under new company ownership.

June 06, 2024

Foxtrot plans to reopen a handful of Chicago locations after abruptly closing all of its stores in April, reported CBS News. The owners of the company posted "A new Foxtrot with some old friends. Coming soon," on Instagram this week, and a Foxtrot spokesperson confirmed the Chicago Gold Coast and Old Town locations will reopen soon.

A full list of reopening store locations will be announced at a later date, including "several" in the Chicago area. The company also plans to reopen locations in Dallas and Austin, Texas, CBS reported, but not in Washington, D.C., at this time.

The stores will have the same layout and merchandising that focuses on local products.

Foxtrot founder Mike LaVitola is said to be working with Further Point Enterprises, the New York-based company that placed the winning bid in a May 10 sale of Foxtrot’s assets. LaVitola will be executive chairman of the new company, according to Crain’s Chicago Business.

“It’s a totally new company starting from scratch, but [we] have the Foxtrot name and the [intellectual property] and a bunch of our locations,” LaVitola told Crain’s. “We’re like a new startup again,” the outlet reported.

In April, Foxtrot's parent company Outfox Hospitality immediately closed all 33 of its Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen stores, saying there were no “viable options” for continuing the business. The company posted the immediate store closing public announcement at 11:30 a.m. Central Time Tuesday, April 23, and ceased all operations shortly after store managers learned of the closing from corporate.

With rapid expansion, the brand opened 15 locations in Chicago and 17 stores across Dallas and Austin, Texas, and Washington D.C. in recent years. In 2022, the brand raised $160 million in Series C funding. Foxtrot merged with Chicago grocer Dom’s Kitchen & Market in November to form Outfox Hospitality, closing five months later. Outfox filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in May.

Advertisement