Lovely (Earth) Day in the Neighborhood
Not so pretty on the food retail scene, as Dom's/Foxtrot shuts down suddenly
Blooming Beauty
I took my own advice on Monday, grabbed my camera and took photos of the pretty spring things in my Lakeview neighborhood. The apartment building where we live looms over that lovely flowering tree.
More photos below, but first a plug for Monday’s Local Food Forum webinar, and some not-pretty-at-all news from the food retail community.
Our next Local Food Forum’s “Better” Dialogues webinar takes place in just six days (Monday, April 29) at 7 p.m. central.
The timely topic is our Outdoor Farmers Market Season Kickoff: Why You Should Go. Co-host Chef Sarah Stegner and I will kick things off with a chat about what we’ve seen in the season’s earliest markets and what to expect in May, as openings surge and the region’s outdoor growing season hits stride. Sarah will also discuss her own role as a co-founder of Chicago’s Green City Market and the huge growth of our farmers market sector since Green City opened 25 years ago.
We have an amazing lineup of guest experts again:
Alex Finn of Michigan’s Finn’s Ranch
Kyle Jacobson of Illinois’ Jacobson Family Farms
Matthew Ruffi, who heads up the Link Up Illinois program — run by the Experimental Station non-profit — that provides financial support for markets’ “Link Match” programs, and also organizes Chicago’s Uptown Farmers Market (in his role as president of the Chicago Market co-op grocery project)
Janelle St. John, executive director of Chicago’s Growing Home Inc. non-profit
Don’t miss out on this lively and informative conversation.
Doors Slam as Dom’s, Foxtrot Shut Down Suddenly
Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market, upstart Chicago-based retailers, were widely regarded as rising stars in the food world when they merged just short of six months ago. So the food business world was rocked today with the out-of-nowhere announcement from Outfox Hospitality — the companies’ combined entity — that all Foxtrot and Dom’s stores were immediately closed and will not re-open.
The announcement came without warning to both employees and the many fans of the high-concept stores. The company released the following statement:
Dear Dom’s Kitchen & Market and Foxtrot Customers,
It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you of a difficult decision we have had to make. After much consideration and evaluation, we regret to announce that Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market will be closing their doors starting on April 23, 2024. The closure affects 2 Dom’s stores and 33 Foxtrots across Chicago, Austin, Dallas, DC areas. We explored many avenues to continue the business but found no viable option despite good faith and exhaustive efforts.
This decision has not been made lightly, and we understand the impact it will have on you, our loyal customers, as well as our dedicated team members. We want to express our sincerest gratitude for your support and patronage throughout the years. It has been our highest honor to elevate the everyday and create a remarkable shopping experience for people who love food as much as we do. It has been a privilege serving you and being a part of your everyday lives.
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.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your loyalty and trust in Dom’s and Foxtrot. It has been an honor to serve you, and we will cherish the memories we have created together. We would also like to thank our team members who have committed themselves over the years to providing a unique selection of quality foods and creating an outstanding in-store customer experience. Lastly, we would like to thank our many partners, without whom we would not have been able to build such a strong brand.
This is a far cry from the optimism exuded by the company’s leaders just a short time ago when they merged. In a Nov. 28 Forbes article by Douglas Yu, then-Outfox CEO Liz Williams was quoted saying, the merger created “one powerhouse team so [consumer brands] will be able to make one call, and we can route them to either one or both shelves.”
The article also quoted her as saying, “What’s going to allow us to do now as we bring these two brands together is growing our top-line sales. All stores are performing well, and I'm really proud of Foxtrot where we saw significant margin improvement.”
Both chains projected the image of cutting-edge innovators. Foxtrot was an upscaled version of the convenience store, with prepared foods, coffee, adult beverages, and a curated grocery section. Dom’s combined the traditional grocery store with a food court, a large-scale baked goods section, lots of fresh meat and fish, ample selections of beer, wine and spirits, and to-go convenience.
It is not yet clear how the company got from “all stores are performing well” to shutting down so suddenly that its displaced employees and regular customers were left milling outside in stunned surprise. I’m sure business reporters are seeking to get to the bottom of this, and I’ll share whatever they come up with.
I am personally disappointed because I attended the Grand Opening of the first Dom’s store on the Lincoln Park-Lakeview border in June 2021 and became an immediate fan, visiting often there and at their second store that opened in 2022 in the Old Town neighborhood. I found it a truly enjoyable shopping experience that brought a fresh new concept to the grocery scene, and I will miss it.
Bob’s World, and Welcome to It
The rest of my Earth Day neighborhood travelogue…