Foxtrot, Dom’s Kitchen & Market suddenly close all stores

A Chicago, Illinois-based chain of groceries closed Tuesday, just months into a merger.

Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market shut down all their locations, apparently with little advance notice. Block Club Chicago reports that signs were posted on stores’ doors “saying the stores have closed permanently and thanking customers for their patronage.”

Eater Chicago says corporate employees and store managers learned about the closure during a Tuesday morning conference call—and informed that the stores would close by noon.

Dom’s closed on Tuesday morning; it appears that staff members had to force customers to leave the Lincoln Park store, Eater Chicago reports.

Another meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening to communicate with workers.

However, Snaxshot, a Substack newsletter, says Outfox Hospitality, the company formed when the two grocers merged last fall, will file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, Chicago Eater reports.

Dom's Kitchen & Market in Lincoln Park attached this notice to the doors after the stores closed around noon on Tuesday, April 23. Credit: CSP Daily News

The companies, which merged in late November, posted identical messages on their websites:

The message goes on to thank the stores’ customers, employees and partners.

Apparently, the company did not provide advance notice of the closures to state governments in Illinois or Texas. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), a federal law, requires employers to notify employees in advance of any layoffs or business closings. It applies even when the company has filed or plans to file for bankruptcy protection.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the Dom’s location in Lincoln Park posted a handwritten sign on the door that read, “Hey neighbors, Dom’s is saying goodbye & we’re shutting our stores and app down. Thanks for eating & enjoying with us.” Workers gathered outside said they were surprised, but many would not comment further.

A kitchen manager learned on Monday that the stores were going to close, but he didn’t know it would be immediately, he told the Tribune. The Lincoln Park location closed at noon Tuesday, he said.

Dom’s had a second location in Old Town, and had announced in September plans to open a third location this summer in River North, according to the Tribune.

Additionally, the Vernon Hills village board gave its OK to a Dom’s location—its first in the suburbs—that would have opened in 2025, the Tribune says.

This Foxtrot store appears ready to open for business, but all the locations closed Tuesday, April 23, 2004. Credit: CSP Daily News

Foxtrot started in 2016 as a delivery app but later matured into a “modern alternative to corner stores,” as Eater Chicago puts it, and created partnerships with restaurants. It expanded to 33 locations, including 15 in Chicago.

Dom’s co-founder, Bob Mariano, was friends with Dominick DiMatteo, who founded Dominick’s Finer Food. Mariano eventually served as Dominick’s CEO but left after Safeway purchased the grocery company. He also founded Mariano’s in 2010; it’s been owned by Kroger since 2016. Mariano left the business when Kroger took over.

Mariano started Dom’s in 2021.

For more on the history of Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market, check out Eater Chicago.