Foxtrot to open its 1st store in Austin on Friday

Foxtrot will officially enter the Austin marketplace with the opening on Friday of its first of four stores in the area, the Chicago-based grocery retailer announced this week.

A label-defying hybrid of urban convenience store, local market and café, Foxtrot’s first store in Austin will be located at 4800 Burnet Rd. in building F.

“It is an amazing feeling to finally open a location in the city that helped bring Foxtrot to life,” said Mike LaVitola, founder and CEO of Foxtrot, in a statement. “We're thrilled to open our first location in Austin to showcase old friends and new partners in the Austin culinary community, and a great space to enjoy the neighborhood any time of day.”

The store will feature the grocery retailer’s all-day café offerings, which include seasonal café drinks, smoothies, breakfast tacos, chef-prepared salads and bowls, and grab-and-go meals for lunch and dinner. The store also contains local craft beers and wines hand-selected by an in-house sommelier, as well as everyday grocery essentials. The store will offer delivery and pickup.

As part of its waltz into Austin, Foxtrot will host an opening party next Thursday from 4-7 p.m. featuring bites from local vendors, live music and swag.

The 2,500-square-foot Burnet location was designed by Foxtrot’s in-house design team in partnership with architect Scott Magic of Magic Architecture and general contractor Franklin Alan.

Looking to expand its homegrown offerings, Foxtrot’s team spent months meeting with local makers, chefs, bakers and brewers to add to their shelves.

Foxtrot’s next lineup of store openings this winter in the Austin area include 1804 S. 1st St., which will be the grocery retailer’s largest at 6,000 square feet. Two additional locations at 301 W. 2nd St. and 2270 Guadalupe St. in Austin are planned to open later this year, the grocery retailer said.

Last month, Foxtrot opened its seventh Washington, D.C./Maryland/Virginia (DMV)-area location.

Foxtrot currently has 25 locations across Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Dallas.