Scoop: Foxtrot is plotting a D.C. comeback
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Foxtrot on 14th Street NW. Photo: Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Image
Foxtrot may bounce back into business and reopen marketplaces in the DMV.
Why it matters: The upscale café/convenience store was uber-popular, and regulars have mourned Foxtrot's loss after 10 D.C.-area locations abruptly shuttered last month.
The big picture: Foxtrot founder Mike LaVitola is reportedly involved in a new ownership group working to revive some of the bougie bodegas, according to TheRealDeal.
- Parent company Outfox Hospitality filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last week. Foxtrot's assets — including intellectual property and inventory — were snatched up at auction by New York-based Further Point Enterprises to the tune of $2.2 million. LaVitola is believed to be working with the private fund.
Zoom in: The landlord of Foxtrot Dupont Circle's location tells Axios that they're in talks with the group for a new lease agreement.
- But there's a catch. "They'll only consider reopening in D.C. if they get a group of stores on board with this," Patrick Kain, president of real estate development group Kain & Associates, tells Axios.
- Foxtrot's vice president of development, who's reportedly working with the new group, declined to comment.
The intrigue: The new owners are busy negotiating leases for many former stores in Chicago, Foxtrot's home base, according to TheRealDeal, and in Texas. Some property owners are refusing to work with the company.
Catch up quick: Outfox Hospitality is swimming in lawsuits — including from an employee who alleges workers were laid off without proper notice and are owed unpaid wages, as well as vendors and landlords for outstanding bills.
- In D.C., at least three landlords are suing for back rent in Georgetown, Adams Morgan, and Bethesda, according to the Washington Business Journal.
Between the lines: Like other locations, the Dupont shop was left stocked full of food, coffee, wine, and other inventory when the markets closed.
- Food Rescue DC cleared that location of thousands of pounds of perishable items, while nonperishable inventory remains. Kain says he hopes the new group can pick back up.
What they're saying: "It's going to be a personal decision for landlords," Kain tells Axios. "We also got a lot of interest to take over the space, but I hope [Foxtrot] reopens."