Foxtrot’s second Chicago location to reopen Thursday

Foxtrot Cafe and Market is reopening its second location on Thursday in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago at 1562 N. Wells St.

It reopened its first location in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago on Sept. 5 after closing in April under former parent company Outfox Hospitality.

Foxtrot has revamped its full-day food program, which now includes…

The operations will include significantly faster fulfillment times and fresher ingredients, the company said.

It will also offer exclusive coffee blends, including The Milk Man Blend, Early Train Espresso, retail beans and consumer-packaged goods selections from Chicago-based partners, including Metric and Kyoto Black.

The location has a front patio on Wells Street and another 600-square-foot patio secluded from North Avenue with shaded seating for up to 30 customers. 

"Foxtrot’s latest updates, from our beloved gummies, coffee, hot food and CPG products, continue to embody Foxtrot's commitment to delivering high-quality products with a personal touch,” said Mike LaVitola, original founder and current chairman of Foxtrot. “Whether it’s through our partnerships with local makers or the innovative brands we showcase, we're constantly evolving to bring our customers the very best—every single day,” 

On Thursday, Foxtrot Cafe and Market is offering free coffee from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.—no purchase necessary—along with complimentary samples of new cookies and berry chai refresher. Then, on Friday, Sept. 20th, it is hosting a Happy Hour starting at 3 p.m., featuring $4 local draft pours and $7 wine pours until close.

What Happened to Foxtrot?

After closing all of it's locations in April, Foxtrot's assets were sold to holding company Further Point Enterprises at an online auction in May for more than $2.2 million. Days later, Outfox Hospitality, parent company of  Foxtrot and small-format grocer Dom’s Kitchen and Market, filed for bankruptcy.

Further Point then approached LaVitola and asked if he wanted to return to help run a revival of Foxtrot, he said.

The new Foxtrot has “simplified its operations,” LaVitola told CSP, going back to how it operated three or four years ago. The company ran with about 2,500 SKUs at first, which grew to about 5,000 in the last five years, he said.

The Gold Coast and Old Town locations are the first of about 10 that the urban convenience-store chain plans to revive, mostly in Chicago and some in Austin, Texas.

Foxtrot was founded in 2014 as a delivery company selling snacks, beer and wine, and grew into a corner store-restaurant hybrid that featured high-end package goods, prepared foods, coffee bars and wine bars. The chain, once billed as the “convenience store of the future,” raised more than $160 million to fuel its growth over its lifetime.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

This story was originally featured on CSP Daily News, a sister publication of Supermarket News.