Foxtrot is reopening stores, but not on Southport Avenue

City liquor license applications reveal that new ownership plans to reopen four Foxtrot locations in Chicago.

These locations are at 1722 W. Division Street in Wicker Park, 1562 N. Wells Street in Old Town, 23 W. Maple Street in Gold Coast, and 171 N. Green Street in Fulton Market. Ownership has informed Eater that more details on the reopening schedule will be available later this week. Earlier this year, Mike LaVitola announced plans to open around 15 stores, primarily in Chicago, with some in Austin, Texas. The former Southport location we have been told is not reopening as the landlord “wants nothing to do with them”.

It’s been three months since Foxtrot ceased operations, closing 33 locations in Chicago, Austin, Dallas, and the Washington, D.C. area. Originally an app focused on liquor delivery, Foxtrot evolved into an upscale bodega offering trendy snacks, an espresso bar, and beer and wine for on-site consumption. The parent company, Outfox Hospitality, was a merger of Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market, a grocery chain with locations in Old Town and Lincoln Park. Dom’s Lincoln Park location has already been taken over by a North Carolina chain, The Fresh Market, which should not be confused with Agora Market, a rebranded Bucktown supermarket. Agora ownership was interested in the former Dom’s location in Old Town for their expansion. The company that has taken over Foxtrot is led by its founder, Mike LaVitola. LaVitola, who was not active with Outfox when it ceased operations, is now the chairman of the new Foxtrot entity, which includes investment firm Further Point Enterprises. LaVitola has no ownership stake in Further Point, which placed a $2.2 million bid on Foxtrot’s Chicago assets in a May auction. Attendees were surprised by the lack of competing bids and suspicious of LaVitola’s involvement.

Reactions to Foxtrot’s return are mixed. Consumers are excited to see activity in the vacant storefronts, while some vendors are left unpaid after Outfox’s bankruptcy and have little hope of recovering their funds. Others are hopeful that Foxtrot’s reopening will lead to more business opportunities. The bankruptcy proceedings will reveal more about Outfox’s finances, as it raised $18.6 million in debt financing last year. Meanwhile, workers are pursuing lawsuits for backpay, claiming Foxtrot violated labor laws by not providing notice of the shutdown, which led to mass job losses.

LaVitola previously stated in an interview with Eater that they would not reopen the D.C. locations but planned to reopen some in Texas. Recently, Eater Austin reported that two Texas locations were up for auction.

Foxtrot’s closure has elicited strong reactions from locals, with sadness from workers who lost their jobs and amusement from South Side Chicagoans who viewed Foxtrot as a North Side chain without a presence south of the Willis Tower.