Dom's Kitchen & Market and Foxtrot, the Chicago-based grocery startups that merged late last year after a period of rapid growth, will close, the company announced Tuesday.
In a statement on its website, Dom's said: “We have explored a number of avenues to continue our operations, but despite our good faith and exhaustive efforts, we have not found a viable option.” said.
“We know this news is shocking and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause,” the statement said. “Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time.”
Workers outside the Lincoln Park Dome on Tuesday morning told the Tribune they were surprised by the news. All operations will end on Tuesday, the store will no longer accept deliveries, store credit will no longer be available and “all customer-facing operations will be disabled,” the company said in a statement.
Company executives could not immediately be reached.
A handwritten sign on the door of Foxtrot in Lakeview read “Permanently Closed.” Dom's Lincoln Park had a sign that read: “Dear neighbors, we say goodbye to Dom's. Our stores and app will be closed. Thank you for eating with us and enjoying your time.”
Employees inside the store's main entrance told shoppers who approached, some incredulously, that the store was closed. “Why did you close?” a woman asked shortly before 11 a.m. “I can't say that,” a Dom employee replied. Inside the store, employees hugged each other.
Becca Richter, 25, said that after learning the news, she “really ran to Dom's with all my might.” She was unable to enter the store, but an employee gave Richter a small box of chocolate chunk cookies, which she said were her last.
“I'm not going to eat this. I'm just going to keep it as a memento,” said Richter, who lives in Lakeview.
Employees slowly entered and exited the store throughout the morning, some leaving with bags of groceries and flowers. A small crowd had gathered outside the store all morning. At one point, workers brought shopping carts full of Dom branded mugs to the assembled crowd, some picking up two at a time.
“Can I order coffee from the window?” one woman asked. “There's no one there,” the employee replied.
In late November, Dom's and Foxtrot announced plans to merge under a new company, Outfox Hospitality, led by Foxtrot CEO Liz Williams.
At the time, Foxtrot had 15 stores in Chicago and 17 in Washington, D.C., Dallas, and Austin. Dom's, also known for its upscale and downsizing concepts, has two locations in Chicago, one in Lincoln Park and one in Old Town. In September, the company announced plans to open a third store in River North next summer.
In December, Dom's received approval from the Vernon Hills Village Board to open its first suburban store on the outer edge of the Hawthorne Mall redevelopment on Townline Road. The company was scheduled to begin construction at Vernon Hills in 2025.
Foxtrot stores straddle the line between high-end convenience stores and cafes, but Dom's, launched in 2021 by Chicago grocery store heir Bob Mariano and former Dominicx executives, offers a wide selection of groceries and Known for its wide selection of prepared meals.
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