Latest news with #Foxtrot
CBS News
15-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Foxtrot Market to open first brand-new store since all stores shut down last year
Just over a year after Foxtrot Café & Market closed all its stores abruptly in the middle of a weekday, the upscale corner store chain — under the direction of its original co-founder — is set on Thursday to open its first brand-new location since that event. The new Foxtrot location will open Thursday at 935 W. Webster Ave. — at the southwest corner of the intersection with Bissell Street. The building was formerly home to the State Restaurant, and was recently redeveloped with a new structure with four residential units above the first-floor retail space. The location is close to DePaul University, and only a couple of blocks from the former Foxtrot location at 900 W. Armitage Ave. The new Webster Avenue location joins six others that have reopened since all the Foxtrot stores closed in April 2024 — at 1722 W. Division St. and 1576 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park, 23 W. Maple St. in the Gold Coast, 1562 N. Wells St. in Old Town, 171 N. Green St. in Fulton Market, and 401 N. Wells St. in River North. There are also two locations in Dallas. Reopening the old Lincoln Park store in the same location was not an option, but Foxtrot was able to find a new spot there. "Obviously, the past year has been a lot, and we're really focused on, you know, reopening existing in neighborhoods that we knew well, but Lincoln Park was our second store ever," said Foxtrot chairman and cofounder Mike LaVitola. "Unfortunately, it was one of the ones that we didn't get back sort of as everything happened last year, and this opportunity popped up where it was, you know, total classic Foxtrot location." The new Webster Avenue store features a 25-seat patio. The opportunity for a new Foxtrot location on Webster Avenue first came last summer, and LaVitola said the company saw it as an opportunity to show a new path forward with a brand-new store. Reviving the Foxtrot brand after a crisis About 13 months ago, Foxtrot's brand took a serious drubbing. On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, Foxtrot — under different ownership at the time — closed all 33 of its stores in Chicago, Texas, and the Washington, D.C. area, before later filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The closures came only six months after Foxtrot merged with Dom's Kitchen & Market under then-parent company Outfox Hospitality. Dom's Kitchen & Market also closed all its stores abruptly the same day. Some employees said they found out the stores had closed upon coming to work on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Two young women working at a Foxtrot at Broadway and Diversey Parkway posted a TikTok video saying they found out the company was shutting down and they were losing their jobs in the middle of their shift. They said customers were still inside at the time and were all asked to leave, and the store promptly went out of business — with a handwritten sign reading, "Closed for good." Combined, nearly 350 people who had worked at Foxtrot and Dom's lost their jobs in Illinois, with hundreds more also losing their jobs at Foxtrot locations across the country. Former Outfox Hospitality employees have filed a federal lawsuit accusing them of violating state and federal worker protection laws by closing stores and laying off staff without warning. Later in 2024, Foxtrot returned with a new ownership group that included LaVitola, and has been reopening stores and restoring the brand. By August, the company had brought back 45 former vendors that worked with Foxtrot — a list that an Eater article at the time said included Chicago brands such as Metric Coffee, the All Together Now wine shop and cheese counter, and Do-Rite Donuts, among others. Bringing together the products of local vendors from around the city at a local corner store was at the heart of Foxtrot from the beginning, LaVitola said. "The important thing for kind of me and the team coming back were, do our local vendors want to work for us again? That's at the heart of why I started the company in the first place was I was obsessed with all this stuff happening around the city, and you know, asking why I couldn't get it in my local neighborhood, right?" he said. "Like you had these amazing breweries, and coffee roasters, and bakers — all this cool stuff happening — and on the main corner of every neighborhood I lived in was just kind of like a generic convenience store that was offering none of that stuff." LaVitola said Foxtrot had moved away from that mission before the meltdown, and his mission since returning has been both bringing back the unique vendors and bringing Foxtrot's teams back to serve the neighborhoods where it had thrived. "Fortunately, both of those have happened," he said, "and you know, I think we've had our heads down, and have been building and been building, and just really sort of like focused on those two things, and this is really the first moment where we can say: 'This is something new. This is something that we're really proud of.'" Unfortunately, despite some successful reopenings, there were other locations besides the old Lincoln Park location on that the revived Foxtrot could not get back. The location at Diversey and Broadway where the employees shot the TikTok video the day all the stores closed is one location where Foxtrot could not return. The space was left seemingly abandoned with Foxtrot furniture and trappings inside as months went on last year. It sits across the street from a shuttered Walgreens drugstore that closed all the way back in 2019 and has been vacant ever since. "When we started last summer reviving the brand, it was sort of one-on-one conversations with each individual landlord, and so as of now, we like have locations that we have back. That one in Lakeview is a great example. I would love to reopen that location," he said. "The landlord has moved on, and so we'll find something else great in that neighborhood." LaVitola added that many store managers at the revived Foxtrot stores had worked for "Foxtrot 1.0" previously, and know the business and training processes well. Free coffee Thursday morning at new Lincoln Park store At the new Webster Avenue store, Foxtrot is offering free coffee from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday with no purchase necessary, and anyone making a purchase of $50 or more will receive a free Lincoln Park tote. Foxtrot also noted that it is expanding its curated café menu with "bigger, bolder new breakfast tacos" on locally made tortillas, as well as house-made smoothies with premium raw fruits and vegetables, and "an even bigger selection of irresistible, globally inspired gummies," the company announced in a news release. The Webster Avenue store will also feature an expanded café menu with exclusive coffee blends and seasonal favorites such as the Cookie Top Latte and the Toasted Coconut Matcha Latte, the company said. The new store will further feature offerings from new artisans and packaged goods brands.
Free Malaysia Today
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Teen freed in Swedish triple murder probe, trio arrested
Three youths aged 15 to 20 were killed in Tuesday's shooting in central Uppsala. (EPA Images pic) STOCKHOLM : A 16-year-old arrested in Sweden after a shooting that killed three youths is no longer a suspect and has been released and three men have been arrested, prosecutors said today. 'Suspicions against the 16-year-old have weakened during his time in custody. He is no longer suspected of a crime,' prosecutor Andreas Nyberg said in a statement. Two men around the ages of 25 and 35 were arrested yesterday suspected of 'incitement to murder', while a third man in his 20s was arrested overnight suspected of murder, the statement said. Three youths aged 15 to 20 were killed in Tuesday's shooting in broad daylight at a hair salon in central Uppsala, about 70km north of Stockholm. The shooting shocked Sweden amid rising concern over gang violence, though police have not confirmed that the shooting was gang-related. Swedish media have reported that at least one of the dead had connections to a criminal gang, though police have not confirmed those reports. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Wednesday called the shooting 'an extremely violent act', saying it looked 'like an execution'. Uppsala is home base for Sweden's two most notorious gangs, Rumba and Foxtrot. Their leaders, Ismail Abdo and Rawa Majid, are both now believed to be orchestrating operations from abroad. Sweden has struggled for years to rein in gang conflicts, which have led to frequent shootings and bombings across the country that have occasionally claimed innocent victims.
Miami Herald
07-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Formerly bankrupt restaurant chain menu reveals latest addition
Business Formerly bankrupt restaurant chain menu reveals latest addition With so many chain restaurants closing locations nationwide, it can seem almost impossible to kick-start a struggling business, especially in an uncertain economy and at the beginning of a trade war. However, businesses that obtain their products from local vendors might benefit from this tumultuous time, since they don't depend on foreign goods as much as their competitors. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Many business owners would find it nearly impossible to make a comeback after significant setbacks. However, this formerly bankrupt business defied all odds, this time under different leadership. Related: Formerly bankrupt restaurant chain returns perk customers love Foxtrot and Dom's Kitchen & Market joined forces in November 2023 to form Outfox Hospitality. This merger aimed to develop multiple stores featuring both the classic convenience store and a neighborhood café, spanning major cities in the U.S., including urban areas of Chicago, Texas, and Washington, D.C. However, this business venture wouldn't get to enjoy the fruits of its labor for very long because it was forced to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy only five months later to pay off its mounting debt. Foxtrot Café & Market reopens multiple locations after bankruptcy. Image source:Former Outfox employees retaliate after the sudden layoffs The shocking bankruptcy filing left around 100 corporate and 1,000 service employees jobless without prior warning, as Outfox failed to inform them of the closures beforehand. As the proverb says, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." But in this case, no one was angrier than Outfox's former employees. The workers filed a class-action lawsuit against the company in April last year for violating the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), which requires companies to give employees 60 days' notice before planned closures or mass layoffs. Related: Popular bankrupt restaurant chain reopens first store However, this would become an ongoing legal battle, causing a series of other lawsuits in hopes of receiving restitution from the sudden job losses. The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) filed three separate federal bankruptcy claims against Outfox Hospitality last October over the WARN law violations, and another two months later. Foxtrot makes a major comeback with the reopening of multiple locations Despite its hiccups along the way, Foxtrot began reopening stores in the Chicago area under the name Foxtrot Café & Market in September of last year, no longer affiliated with Outfox Hospitality and without its previous partner, Dom's Kitchen & Market. The chain now has six fully reopened Chicago locations, which have been incredibly successful in the community. Because of this victorious return, Foxtrot decided to expand to another state. After much pleading from loyal fans, it reopened its first Dallas location this January and, less than a month later, reopened a second location in University Park, the home of Southern Methodist University (SMU). Foxtrot partnered with local businesses to resell their products and created new menus for each state, featuring beverages and food with regional flavors to differentiate its locations and tailor offerings to local consumers. It also launched a merchandise collection for fans, including hats, sweatshirts, and bottle designs, which can be ordered through its app. It even created SMU merchandise for its University Park location. More Retail News: The chain's business moves have proven successful. It has now reopened eight locations in record time. To keep the momentum going, it finally revealed a new addition it had been teasing for weeks. Foxtrot unveiled Shroomies, its new name-brand treat with a handmade logo. These sweet-and-sour gummy mixes come in multiple fun shapes and vibrant colors and can be purchased at all locations. Customers can win free gummies for a whole year if they find a special ticket inside their bag. The bags also contain 20 bonus tickets with $50 in gummy credit for the lucky winners. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc. This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 8:33 PM.
Local Sweden
03-05-2025
- Local Sweden
Two new arrests in Swedish triple murder probe
Swedish authorities have arrested two young men for suspected complicity in a triple murder that shocked the country, the prosecutor in charge of the investigation announced Saturday. Advertisement The latest arrests leave six people currently in custody, with no decision yet made on whether they should be remanded, prosecutor Andreas Nyberg said in a statement. The prosecutor's office announced Friday the arrest of four men, one on suspicion of murder and the other three of incitement to murder. Three young men aged 15 to 20 were killed late Tuesday in broad daylight at a hair salon in central Uppsala, a university town north of Stockholm. The shooting shocked Sweden amid rising concern over gang violence, though police have not confirmed that the shooting was gang-related. According to Swedish media, at least one of the victims had ties to organised crime, a claim police have not confirmed. A 16-year-old arrested a few hours after the shooting has been released and is no longer a suspect in the investigation. Advertisement The latest suspects held on suspected complicity are considered "reasonable suspects," - the lowest level of suspicion according to Swedish justice. Sweden has been trying to stem a wave of shootings and homemade explosive attacks carried out by rival gangs vying for control of drug trade in recent years. Uppsala has long been the base of Sweden's two most notorious rival gang leaders, Ismail Abdo and Rawa Majid, although they are suspected of orchestrating their operations from abroad. Uppsala has experiencing a wave of violence over the last two years following the murder of Ismail Abdo's mother in what the authorities see as a vendetta linked to the conflict between his gang, Rumba, and Majid's gang, Foxtrot.
RTHK
02-05-2025
- Politics
- RTHK
Swedish police arrest four over shooting, release teen
Swedish police arrest four over shooting, release teen Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Wednesday said the shooting looked "like an execution." Photo: AFP Swedish police arrested four men in connection with a triple murder that shocked the country and have released a teen previously detained over the shooting, prosecutors said on Friday. Three people aged 15 to 20 were killed in a shooting on Tuesday in broad daylight at a hair salon in central Uppsala, north of Stockholm. The shooting shocked Sweden amid rising concern over gang violence, though police have not confirmed that the shooting was gang-related. "Suspicions against the 16-year-old have weakened during his time in custody. He is no longer suspected of a crime," prosecutor Andreas Nyberg said in a statement. On Thursday, authorities arrested two men suspected of "incitement to murder," while a third man in his 20s was arrested overnight on Thursday to Friday suspected of murder, the statement said. A fourth man, around the age of 4,5 was arrested on Friday, also suspected of incitement to murder. Swedish media have reported that at least one of the dead had connections to a criminal gang, though police have not confirmed those reports. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Wednesday called the shooting "an extremely violent act," saying it looked "like an execution." Uppsala is the home base for two of Sweden's most notorious gangs, Rumba and Foxtrot. Their leaders, Ismail Abdo and Rawa Majid, are both now believed to be orchestrating operations from abroad. Sweden has struggled for years to rein in gang conflicts, which have led to frequent shootings and bombings across the country that have occasionally claimed innocent victims. (AFP)
