CHICAGO (CBS) — Two Chicago-based grocery chains, Dom’s Kitchen & Market and Foxtrot Market, suddenly closed their stores Tuesday.
This came six months after the chains announced a merger.
“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,” Dom’s Kitchen & Market wrote in a message on their website.
“We explored many avenues to continue the business but found no viable option despite good faith and exhaustive efforts.”
In November, Dom’s – a pair of upscale grocery stores – and Foxtrot – a high-end convenience store chain – announced they were merging under the new entity Outfox Hospitality.
Each and every Dom’s and Foxtrot store closed Tuesday. Delivery was halted, mobile apps went dark, and store credit cards were cut off.
All Foxtrot and Dom’s account credits and member perks were voided effective Tuesday.
The closure affects both Dom’s locations in Chicago, and all 33 Foxtrot stores in Chicago; Austin and Dallas, Texas; and the Washington D.C. area.
“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,” the companies said in a statement.
With the closures, hundreds are out of work.
Monica Perez worked at the Lincoln Park Dom’s at 2730 N. Halsted St.
A few years ago, an entire strip mall that had most recently housed a combination Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin Robbins, a Massage Envy, and a Performance Bicycle store was torn down to make way for the new Dom’s building.
Now, the store that had occupied that new building is suddenly out of business, and Perez has no job.
“We just got here, and apparently everything is closing,” said Monica Perez, “so a lot of people—everyone here—are out of work now.”
Perez and her coworkers reminisced Tuesday afternoon outside the Dom’s store here in Lincoln Park.
The store had regularly been packed with people buying pricey items – a signal to employees of a strong future.
Instead, all the employees were blindsided before work.
“I didn’t even get a call from a manager,” said Perez. “I showed up like a regular day.”
Customers who see the workers daily were jolted by the sudden news.
“This is like family,” said Amy Tanner. “So it’s very sad. We’re really sad for the employees.”
Amy and Matt Tanner’s evening shopping routines are also upended.
“Shocked and really upset,” said Amy Tanner.
“You know, we literally just come down here to decide what we’re going to have for dinner every night.”
The every-night routine is no more, and so is Monica Perez’s job.
“I didn’t even get a call from a manager,” said Monica Perez. “I just showed up like it was a regular day.”
Perez said there was no signal at all that the closures were coming.
There were just signs on the door—each store with its own.
One sign on a Foxtrot store at 1019 W. Lake St. read: “As of today we are closed for the final time.
Thank you for the time we had together.”
A hand-drawn sign next to it showed a headstone reading, “R.I.P. Foxtrot.”
Dom’s launched in Chicago in June 2021 in Lincoln Park as a new concept from Bob Mariano, founder of the Mariano’s grocery store chain in Chicago.
Their second location opened in Old Town in November 2022.
A permanent end has come for Foxtrot and Dom’s, despite some customers hoping for a different outcome.
“We’ll see what happens, if this is a reorganization, or if it’s just something going on financially, but it’s kind of weird that they’d throw everybody out and shut things down,” said Matt Tanner.
“It’s kind of weird.”
Meanwhile, Perez and other now-jobless employees wondered what was next for them, as their paychecks will soon end.
“I don’t got a job now,” Perez said. “Now I’ve got to go back and search for a job.”
Described as the “newest next-generation local food emporium,” Dom’s was a small-scale grocery focused on specialty items, prepared foods, and locally sourced products.
Stores also featured wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, coffee shops, and wine and beer that customers could drink while they shopped.
Questions have begun to bubble up among some employees as to whether the company properly notified.
Under Illinois state law, employers must notify the state when they plan to lay off workers as part of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.
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