New owners of formerly bankrupt restaurant chain reopen locations

After filing for bankruptcy, disappearing for five months, getting sued and receiving backlash, a popular restaurant chain refused to let these several major setbacks get in the way of its journey to redemption.

With various store locations in major US cities, including Chicago, Texas and Washington DC, this chain has quickly become a neighborhood favorite for those living the fast-paced urban life.

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However, a wrong business move caused this company’s success to collapse as quickly as it was achieved.

But as the saying goes, “Only time can heal what reason cannot,” and this neighborhood cafe seems to have prevailed once again against all odds.

However, some former customers may not be as willing to forgive the company’s mistakes as readily as customers.

Foxtrot is reopening its second location after several store closures.

Chicago Tribune/Getty Images

A troubled history with tumultuous reactions

Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market joined forces in late 2023 to form Outfox Hospitality.

This company was founded to combine brick-and-mortar stores with cafe food to expand its footprint in major US cities.

Related: Popular bankrupt restaurant chain reopens first store

However, the merger only lasted five short months before the fledgling company was forced to close all of its locations and file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy to quickly pay off its debts.

However, Outfox failed to notify its employees of the closing prior to the filing, which left approximately 100 corporate and 1,000 service employees out of a job.

Company employees at the time were incredibly surprised to learn of the plans to close mass stores on the very day of the announcement, which was also the same day it was revealed to regular customers.

After this deception, former Outfox employees filed a class-action lawsuit against the company for violating the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires companies to notify employees 60 days in advance of any planned closings or mass layoffs.

Foxtrot strives for redemption after reemerging

After a five-month hiatus, the new owners of the Foxtrot chain reopened their first location on September 5 on Chicago’s Gold Coast.

Following the announcement, Foxtrot said it was in no rush to reopen locations and planned to do so at its own pace, leading some to begin to think this first store reopening would be a one-hit wonder .

However, just 14 days later, Foxtrot reopened its second location, promoting free coffee at its grand opening for everyone who attended.

Foxtrot is reopening its second location, and people are getting mixed reviews

Foxtrot opened its second location on September 19th on Wells St in Chicago. Although it was a big achievement for the company’s owners, some people still had mixed feelings about the announcement.

Since Foxtrot initially mentioned Dallas as one of the locations where its stores would reopen, some bombarded the company’s Instagram comments section with requests for Foxtrot to return to Dallas.

One user on the social media platform commented: “Open Dallas next plz”

Another loyal customer commented: “How about Dallas?”

More Foxtrots:

• Popular bankrupt restaurant chain reopens first store
• Popular restaurant chain files for bankruptcy, closing all locations
• The popular bankrupt retailer is reopening after suddenly closing stores

However, some were not so happy with the news due to claims that the company has yet to succeed its previous suppliers and employees.

One user expressed mixed feelings about the store reopening, commenting: “Ok so I WANT to support the new owners but ugh you NEED to come straight and correct what happened.”

Another user on the social media platform commented: “Instead of free coffee maybe you could charge for the coffee and use the money to pay back the vendors you still owe money to.”

The new Foxtrot, however, is not the same company as former owner Outfox, which filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and liquidated. It is a new entity with new owners.

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