A former Foxtrot manager discusses what led up to the chain’s sudden closure that left behind a legacy of community-oriented spaces and cherished memories for its loyal D.C. customers.
Amid D.C.’s evolving culinary landscape, Foxtrot’s departure leaves behind a legacy of community-oriented spaces, innovative flavors and packaging, and cherished memories for its loyal customers.
For the past three years, the black and white stores packed with colorful goodies have been posted on corners all around the District. The bougie bodega, home to imported wines, made-to-order meals and locally-sourced vegan treats, abruptly closed all six locations in D.C. on Tuesday, along with its 27 other locations in Illinois and Texas.
To Georgetown store manager Kyle Young, the suspension of operations came as a shock and was a bitter ending to what was an overall sweet experience highlighted by serving the D.C. community and creating meaningful relationships with loyal customers and employees. He said his team was given no formal warning in advance that the store would be closing before Tuesday — but felt like something was coming.
“So Friday, we had an emergency meeting. And what came out of that was that we had to cease all purchasing. So if I were to run out of coffee, milk, straws, napkins, anything, you name it, I was not allowed to order it. I thought that was really interesting,” Young told WTOP.
He said he asked a colleague who had worked there longer than him if this was a common occurrence or if it had happened before. They said it had, and that calmed him a bit.
“But I felt that the meeting they put on our schedule on Monday afternoon for Tuesday was going to be in some relation to the purchasing and ordering. I did not think it would lead to a termination of everyone’s jobs,” Young said.
Now, a sign reading that the Georgetown store is permanently closed is the only indication that it was once a bustling hub for residents to grab a quick bite or sit for a while, enjoying the space on their computers.
“It was an absolute pleasure to serve this community. We had no notice. Please keep our staff in your thoughts and prayers. We really appreciated your support through the years. We will miss you,” read the sign on the door.
Young said he didn’t receive clear communication as to why the store was to cease purchasing or anything regarding halting operations altogether.
“It was explained to us on that Friday meeting that this has happened at Foxtrot a couple of times, where they paused the ordering. And it’s just to kind of make our financials look better, I’m not really sure. I didn’t really get clear communication about that. But the clear communication was that this has happened a couple of times in Foxtrot’s history and it was nothing to be worried about,” he said.
Everything else seemed business as usual on Tuesday, Young said, until little hints started popping up.
“On Tuesday, I came into work, thinking everything was normal. I had one customer show me that our online orders weren’t working. So I thought that was peculiar. … And then about 15 minutes later, two gentlemen dressed kind of ‘business casual’ walked in. I hadn’t seen them before, but they asked if we were going to be staying open. And I said, ‘Honestly, gentlemen, I don’t know,’” he said.
At another meeting at 10:30 a.m. that morning, Young said he “could tell right away that the mood was different.” Then, the news broke.
In a statement released Tuesday, Outfox Hospitality, the Chicago-based parent company of Foxtrot Market and Dom’s Kitchen & Market, said, “We explored many avenues to continue the business but found no viable option, despite good faith and exhaustive efforts.”
WTOP reached out to Outfox Hospitality for further comment but have not received a response.
Young said his employees were shocked and even shed tears at the announcement of the store’s closure. He said although he’s taking time to reassess what comes next, he’s now prioritizing helping some employees to find new jobs after the sudden discharge.
“It’s still really tough for me to accept that a decision like this could be made that would affect so many people without a fair warning,” he said, tearing up. “We have folks that are living paycheck to paycheck, and not just at Foxtrot, but everywhere in this country. I’m sure it was not an easy decision to make but at the end of the day, it really hurts a lot of people.”
In Chicago, a former Foxtrot employee filed a suit against Outfox arguing it violated federal and Illinois state labor laws for failing to provide advance word that a shutdown was coming. The defendant, Jamil Ladell Moore, said he “first learned of his termination during his shift and did not receive any prior notice from his employer in any way.”
“I have passed some of that information on to my employees, that this is something that is going on in Illinois. ‘So just keep your keep your ear to the ground, keep your eyes open,’” Young said, regarding the lawsuit.
The suit alleges that Outfox violated the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) act by not giving the company’s nearly 1,000 employees at least 60 days notice of mass layoffs, paying employee wages, benefits, vacation pay and other money owed to them for the next 60 days.
No other suits against the company have been filed thus far.
“Although it came to a really kind of bitter end, there was a lot of great things that came out of Foxtrot. I learned some new skills, I met some really great people, formed some new connections,” Young said.
“So it’s not a total loss. I’m going to take everything from it, and learn from it and grow from it. … And I’ll always be extremely grateful for the hard work [my employees] put in, because they put in a lot of hard work. I can’t thank them enough.”
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