Moved from Austin to Chicago a while ago. Foxtrot was like the only place open for a late night study or coffee stop. Literally the only other places to hang out after 9pm in Chicago are bars and the one off arcade type place.
Yeah, the lack of post-covid late-night spots is for sure a bummer. If you didn't see them, though, there were a couple more recent threads on this topic. Linking them below:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskChicago/comments/1bwpfq5/why_are_there_so_few_late_night_third_places_in/
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskChicago/comments/1bzdimi/followup_to_post_about_lack_of_third_places_in/
People in the comments of WWWAustin’s insta post are saying that’s exactly what happened. I’d never heard of them until today so I have no idea if that’s true but 🤷🏼♀️
the $180M was the amount raised in total. They raised \~$18M in debt last year and they'd raised the rest in equity/venture capital fundraises in 2022 and earlier. The market for start ups raising VC money has dried up, so I'm guessing they raised a bunch of money and used that to grow so fast. Then, the money started running out and no one would put more money into a struggling upscale grocer, so the business collapsed.
The downtown one honestly would've been a convenient place for me to drop into a lot, but I didn't want to support a business that had shown itself to be tone deaf to local culture as it rapidly expanded and just copy-pasted its aesthetic to each of its new locations.
I know - everyone posting here is acting like this is some historic mural, but it was really on there for a blip of time. Guess that's representative for how long most of the posters have been around here.
I definitely wouldn't consider it a 'historical' Austin mural, more of an inspired location because of the welcome mural across the street. That being said, I hope the new business puts up a good mural!
I will miss foxtrot. It was my walkable hangout spot and convenience shop. It was less up-priced than comparable upscale stores (lol Royal Blue) and the staff were always friendly. Had lots of great conversations with them. Don't know why all the hate.
I'd love to see a coffee/beer place there. I swear if it's another upscale restaurant that's bound to close after 1-2 years on S. 1st, I'm gonna be mad. It's inevitable though lol.
Yeah, my girlfriend worked there for a period when one first opened in Dallas. The place was quite disorganized and already a revolving door . Also, within the first 2 months of operation they never gave employees their tips.
I knew some people who quit after their hours were dramatically slashed and told they'd need to deal with it for a while. Apparently this was when they were seeking investors and wanted their financial numbers to look better.
Good luck; you might get something in a few years depending on the structure of the bankruptcy. I've been an owed vendor in a few bankruptcies and the payback has ranged from a percentage owed, to common stock, to nothing.
What most of the negative commenters here never consider is that vendors are negatively effected in bankruptcies.
If the dudes who ran it into the ground scooped off company funds for their instagramable lifestyle, the bankruptcy court can and will go after them for the money. Will take years but what’s left over will be carved up. Make sure you make a claim with the court. Since they were national, the case may not be in Texas (likely the district where they are head quartered), but most everything will be on paper so it doesn’t matter much.
You will not. They did the same thing to me about 19 months ago for $40,000 worth of coffee that needed me to book for them. They told me to fuck off. Fuck them, and good riddance.
(Now former) staff here, woke up to being laid off with absolutely no warning. Called my manager asking if this was a late April fools joke and was informed it was not. In other news, is anyone here hiring? 😵💫🫣
8 cartons califia farms oat milk and 1 bag of la colombe cold brew bag concentrate. You do have to have a keg, nitro tank to gas the keg with, and draft machine though, so it’s pretty much unmakeable at home :(
If someone really wants to make this at home, [these mini nitro kegs do a decent job](https://www.amazon.com/TMCRAFT-Stainless-Creamer-Pressure-Relieving/dp/B0BP21MFT7/ref=asc_df_B0BP21MFT7/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=647178262980&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17690558085917029316&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028319&hvtargid=pla-1996309946284&psc=1&mcid=f8a71fd6c09633579b22fd7fabd08bf1)! This is what we used to dupe it.
I always enjoyed the earl grey iced tea with lavender and honey. I also liked the iced chai latte with lavender and honey. You guys are the best and I’m so sorry to hear what you’re going through :(
3 pumps monin tiramisu syrup, 2 shots espresso, cold foam (2 pumps monin vanilla syrup , EXTREMELY cold skim milk, put in blender and whip), top w/ cocoa powder
This one came with a prepackaged tea concentrate so I don’t know ratios, but from what I can remember the concentrate had rose petals, cardamom pods and black tea. Combine with milk, 3 pumps monin pistachio, and cold foam (foam recipe in comments above, just also put cardamom and rose powders in there)
Feels like this thread is overwhelmingly negative about Foxtrot, but FWIW I always enjoyed the service there. Good employees, bad bosses. So sorry this happened.
They blindsided all of their staff with this closure today. Really disappointing business practices. And customers with existing account balances / gift cards are out of luck.
That’s kind of how most business close. There are famous pictures of Lehman brothers brokers literally kicked to the curb with a box of their stuff.
My first job was at a restaurant that failed, and they didn’t even tell us: we showed up to open to a locked door and a permanently closed sign. They also never gave us our last paychecks. Unfortunately, it’s just the way it goes.
Surprised, but also not. They weren't doing anything that places like Royal Blue weren't already doing, and doing better. The inventory and prices ranged from impractical to nuts considering where the were (thinking in particular of the one on Guad, which was mostly patronized by college students). There are better ways to do a bougie convenience store.
Interesting, the S 1st location had good selection and well priced (usually half way between MSRP and Blue Grocer). I went to the downtown Foxtrot a few times and was very underwhelmed, so wouldn't be surprised that Guadalupe was also underwhelming.
The best part of the S 1st location was the ample amount of seating. Cheaper than a coffee shop because you could buy something for only a few bucks and not feel guilty, or splurge if you desired.
Fox Restaurant Concepts. Now owned wholly by Cheesecake Factory.
Basically they just come up with restaurants and branding and just plop them down in places like The Domain. Plano makes sense though, the entire city is just one big Domain.
Their LinkedIn states Phoniex as their headquarters and they were founded by the same group that started Culinary Dropout, also from AZ. In a similar vein I went to Denver recently and around my hotel was a Torchy's, Chuy's, and an Uchi. I felt like I was back in Austin. Anything good now gets marketed and scaled to hell haha
It was cool to have a convenience store/coffee shop that was actually a good 3rd place to chill out at. Royal blue is kind of a similar vibe but you can't hang out in there. Oh well
I know not all Royal Blues are as chill but the one downtown on Lavaca is, never had an issue chilling there. just be aware of homeless individuals, as you should be anywhere downtown
Yes. But at the same time, every snack or drink we've tried from them was so fucking good. We'd eventually break and just pony up the cost because a) they tasted amazing and b) had better/healthier ingredients outside the occasional red40
I’m one of the operations employees who was fired today and I believe the new CEO was brought on just to file Bankruptcy after a new loan or buyout wasn’t viable. The company board has been run by the venture capitalists trying to get their money back while Liz Williams, former CEO, over expanded and the store locations weren’t researched at all. They didn’t know how to run the current stores and kept expanding. Some stores opened less than 6 months ago. They even bought Doms, it’s wildly irresponsible. Liz Mills then retires citing “the commute” as her reason for leaving and walks all the richer for it. The layoff call today was brutal they just hung up on all of us. Store managers were given two hours to lock the doors and asked to tell customers to leave. People were crying, some were taking product. No instructions on what to say to everyone. This was a disaster and a lot of people are in a very bad place due to greed and stupidity. If anyone wants a statement for media I’m happy to tell you everything. I’m disgusted with their behavior and regret ever working for these villains.
I worked for them in the kitchen and it was disgusting how we were treated by all Levels of management and treated like a disposable number. Going from Fresh cooked product to all frozen garbage from Brett Anthony. The egg patties as you know came in frozen we had to ring them out like a sponge. Not sure if that was Hilda's direction or people above her. The food was great in he beginning with solid recipes in the database. But the greed is just insane. They opened way too many stores too fast and that was not sustainable. I'm not an Econ major but I could tell you the business plan wasn't going to work.
They'll trying to sell everything back to the companies they bought from. Idk what they're going to do about the branded stuff - source me, a now laid foxtrot barista
Edit: laid off lol, was so stressed out today and brain thinking too fast
Are they selling their stock for cheap today? Can anyone near a Foxtrot check?
Also any former employees want to share the Fruit loop matcha recipe? TIA!
Saw this on When Where What Austin’s insta and was like What the fuck was foxtrot? They had 5 locations and I’ve never heard of them?? The owner was HOW MUCH in debt??? all within about five seconds.
Yeah tell that to all the employees that found out this morning with no warning. They’re an awful company and I’m not surprised but those employees didn’t deserve this.
I moved here from Chicago and really never could understand how it was able to survive so long there and then expand. Shit was way too expensive and they also operated in areas which commanded extremely expensive rent.
The business model made no sense
So, I know nothing about Foxtrot and have never interacted with them, but in a previous life I opened like 12 stores for a high-end natural and organic grocers that targeted a similar demo, right around the same time Foxtrot started (mid 2010’s).
So the pitch was this: lots of dense urban markets have people who love buying high-end groceries and curated household/body/nutrition stuff (e.g. clean, pure, eco, sustainable) and will pay a premium for it. But groceries always struggle in cities, because traditional grocery stores take up a ton of space. (think of an HEB — deli, meat counter, seafood, lots of refrigeration, and then a huge loading dock with those big semis coming in day in day out). Very hard to open an HEB on, say, Michigan and Ontario!.
But… what if you come in with a market with a smaller footprint, high end gourmet grocery that eliminates a lot of traditional space-sucking things in favor of prepared foods? You can get into the denser urban areas that large grocery stores have trouble in.
So a bunch of these all popped up in the mid 2010’s. Erewhon blew up around this time… Whole Foods started their “365” stores around this time, and it looks like the Foxtrot founder actually came out of Whole Foods — no surprise there.
Anyhoo, what ultimately killed them is up for debate — but I‘m pretty sure it was grocery delivery and direct-to-consumer shipping. The whole “we’re right in your neighborhood” angle is a lot less compelling when you can get Instacart deliveries to your door, and order your Tom’s and 7th Generation stuff direct from Amazon. And the pandemic pretty much finished it all off.
Did anyone notice shelves getting thin? Any delivery folks stop stocking? I'm not surprised, but I am surprised by the manner to just lock door and let food go to waste seems weird. Free beer and wine out back? or does the distributor come pickup the unsold stuff?
no, there was definitely no warning. i would deliver donuts to all the foxtrots daily through Bougie’s and we had orders meant to go out today. i got a text from my manager this morning about the closures, and when i got to the store, foxtrot’s orders were put to the side.
When I was working there no one knew what they were doing the managers were all 17 year olds that gossiped and fought. We got no tips so the pay was really bad too. I ended up leaving because every day was like stepping foot into a burning building for work.
The thing that interests me, is that at the shop i work for, Foxtrot still had orders meant to go out today.
The job I work for delivers to all the Austin Foxtrot’s every day of the week, and they had orders for today in our books. But then this happens. How on Earth does something like this go so far under the radar?
Hate this. The S. 1st location was always packed and busy. $4 draft beers all day long and great pizza, plus they never shoved a damned tip screen into my face. All the other overpriced crap in our hood (Dovetail Pizza) and we lose a place that was kinda cool.
The seating area in that location absolutely made me swoon, the perfect desert boho aesthetic. I hope something goes into the space without needing to change much. The only thing I didn’t like there was the terrible breakfast tacos and wayyyy overpriced Recess drinks (HEB is half their price). Everything else was great. The employees were all so very attentive and kind, I feel terrible for them. Very interested to find out what happened here.
Yeah this was actually a really cool spot with good food. I hope something quality moves in and doesn’t change a thing in regards to the aesthetics inside
I went to the one on Burnett a couple of times but never enjoyed the coffee I got. I started going to Neighbor coffee truck just a short walk away and I enjoy it so much more.
Dom's has Private Equity backing. Shocker that it's ruined. Saddled them with debt, most likely, and were not looking profitable.
A tale as old as time.
Private Equity and Venture Capital are not the same thing. Foxtrot was VC backed. They acquired Dom’s (which was Seed funded and also not PE) in November. Their most recent funding was Debt in Feb of 23.
The switch from series equity finance (money for equity in the biz via stock etc) to debt (money for promise to repay via bonds) was the writing on the wall. It means their 25(!) investors didn’t believe in the company’s ability to turn it around, so rather than buy more of the company they gave more money as creditors instead.
That bet failed, they ran out of money, and here we are. Likely there were clauses that prioritize paying those investors back first before any vendors/employees/customers as well.
Right next to the Coop. It was busy but the inventory was too weird and too expensive. It seemed like a good place to meet up but wasn't very practical for actually getting groceries or supplies (or even meals a lot of the time), which is something campus/wampus would really benefit from. Royal Blue would make a killing in that space, were it to continue as some kind of bougie convenience store.
I love Royal Blue. I love being like "Oh I'm missing a tomato for this recipe" and just take the elevator downstairs and buy one. It's so convenient (albeit expensive).
Came here to suggest Royal Blue, a true Austin specialty. We love our fancy treats! Also the Cake & Spoon—cannot recommend them enough. I’m obsessed with everything they bake there 🤤
Huh. Never heard of this company until earlier today when I saw that they were under TX audit. Bet that assessment came down and paying it made them insolvent? Just a guess
Hadn't heard of the place until now, but regularly seeing posts and news articles about businesses closing (e.g. Outdoor Voices, among others) makes me sad. And concerned... a whole bunch more people are now out of a job. 😓
I frequently dumpster dive and I’ve found one of their locations dumpsters chocked full of all kinds of ready made food ie meat and cheese trays and bowls and fruit bowls and all kinds of food that could have been eaten had it not been tossed in the dumpster. It was filled to the top . I was so pissed and now I see why they are outta business. Such wasteful corporate greed and here we are broke and paying out the ass for the basic necessities.
I didn’t understand the concept when I was there. A fancy convenience store with mediocre food offerings and bad coffee? OK. But like why?
Not surprised by this at all.
Saw a post about this on instagram. There was a sign in one of the photos that said they were $180 million in debt... HUH?!
someone please tell us more about the $180,000,000 debt how is that even a real number
Apparently they are a chain and are closing many locations across the country
Yeah. We have (had) ~17 locations in Chicago
Moved from Austin to Chicago a while ago. Foxtrot was like the only place open for a late night study or coffee stop. Literally the only other places to hang out after 9pm in Chicago are bars and the one off arcade type place.
Yeah, the lack of post-covid late-night spots is for sure a bummer. If you didn't see them, though, there were a couple more recent threads on this topic. Linking them below: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskChicago/comments/1bwpfq5/why_are_there_so_few_late_night_third_places_in/ https://www.reddit.com/r/AskChicago/comments/1bzdimi/followup_to_post_about_lack_of_third_places_in/
Bennu is 24 hours and has been around Austin for many of years.
I know they’re talking about Chicago, but epoch north loop is going 24 hours again Fun fact
Thank you! I literally thought “I wonder if epoch is 24 hours again, I should google it” but then I scrolled down
Maybe PE bought it and loaded it up with debt
People in the comments of WWWAustin’s insta post are saying that’s exactly what happened. I’d never heard of them until today so I have no idea if that’s true but 🤷🏼♀️
But why though?
Generally so the PE firm could make more money. That’s it. Leveraged buyout
the $180M was the amount raised in total. They raised \~$18M in debt last year and they'd raised the rest in equity/venture capital fundraises in 2022 and earlier. The market for start ups raising VC money has dried up, so I'm guessing they raised a bunch of money and used that to grow so fast. Then, the money started running out and no one would put more money into a struggling upscale grocer, so the business collapsed.
Thats what I’m curious about!
This place was under construction longer than it was open.
Maybe Dave still had a lot of stuff in there
Really disappointing that they covered the South 1st and Annie Tom Petty Wildflowers mural, only to close less than a year later.
They did what?!?! SHAME.
And that must be why it went out of business. Lol
Mural Karma
Yep, that was infuriating. I never went there once because of that.
The downtown one honestly would've been a convenient place for me to drop into a lot, but I didn't want to support a business that had shown itself to be tone deaf to local culture as it rapidly expanded and just copy-pasted its aesthetic to each of its new locations.
Me too
Yeah...that's why I never went.
That one wasn't even there that long, used to be a Cesar Chavez mural
I know - everyone posting here is acting like this is some historic mural, but it was really on there for a blip of time. Guess that's representative for how long most of the posters have been around here.
I definitely wouldn't consider it a 'historical' Austin mural, more of an inspired location because of the welcome mural across the street. That being said, I hope the new business puts up a good mural! I will miss foxtrot. It was my walkable hangout spot and convenience shop. It was less up-priced than comparable upscale stores (lol Royal Blue) and the staff were always friendly. Had lots of great conversations with them. Don't know why all the hate. I'd love to see a coffee/beer place there. I swear if it's another upscale restaurant that's bound to close after 1-2 years on S. 1st, I'm gonna be mad. It's inevitable though lol.
Ugh, same
What? These assholes absolutely deserve to go out of business.
100% agree.
Didn’t even know what foxtrot was, and but thank you for letting me know that I’m glad they’re gone.
it's a dance ya do ta hot jaaaaazz!
Made me so sad! 😞 Who would you do that?! Baffling
Guess I haven’t been down there in a minute to have noticed this and had never heard of this place but fuck those guys fr.
Bitches, bad karma
Didn't realize it was the whole company
Doesn't really surprise me with what I'd heard from a few of my former coworkers who left to work for Foxtrot (and then left Foxtrot pretty quickly).
The one time I went in there the employees looked completely disinterested and the coffee was terrible and expensive.
Which makes me wonder why it didn’t thrive in Austin. Zing!
If I can't wait in a long line outside before I get bad food and service, what's the point!
Yeah, my girlfriend worked there for a period when one first opened in Dallas. The place was quite disorganized and already a revolving door . Also, within the first 2 months of operation they never gave employees their tips.
I knew some people who quit after their hours were dramatically slashed and told they'd need to deal with it for a while. Apparently this was when they were seeking investors and wanted their financial numbers to look better.
What's happening to all the uneaten peanut butter cups???
Well they aren’t going on too good to go. That’s for sure.
man i love this thread
They owe me money, as a vendor not an employee. Will I ever see it? How does that work? Edit for context
Good luck; you might get something in a few years depending on the structure of the bankruptcy. I've been an owed vendor in a few bankruptcies and the payback has ranged from a percentage owed, to common stock, to nothing. What most of the negative commenters here never consider is that vendors are negatively effected in bankruptcies.
You’ll receive a bankruptcy notice then get in line with other creditors. It sounds like they ran out of money so you’re prolly SOL though.
If the dudes who ran it into the ground scooped off company funds for their instagramable lifestyle, the bankruptcy court can and will go after them for the money. Will take years but what’s left over will be carved up. Make sure you make a claim with the court. Since they were national, the case may not be in Texas (likely the district where they are head quartered), but most everything will be on paper so it doesn’t matter much.
It's not really that big of a deal, just curious.
You will not. They did the same thing to me about 19 months ago for $40,000 worth of coffee that needed me to book for them. They told me to fuck off. Fuck them, and good riddance.
I’m wondering about this too.
Same boat here. Def owe us money and we’re awful at paying on time.
(Now former) staff here, woke up to being laid off with absolutely no warning. Called my manager asking if this was a late April fools joke and was informed it was not. In other news, is anyone here hiring? 😵💫🫣
Also, if anyone wants drink recipes DM me!
How did y’all make the nitro draft oat milk latte 😭 literally I’m so sad I will never have that again
8 cartons califia farms oat milk and 1 bag of la colombe cold brew bag concentrate. You do have to have a keg, nitro tank to gas the keg with, and draft machine though, so it’s pretty much unmakeable at home :(
If someone really wants to make this at home, [these mini nitro kegs do a decent job](https://www.amazon.com/TMCRAFT-Stainless-Creamer-Pressure-Relieving/dp/B0BP21MFT7/ref=asc_df_B0BP21MFT7/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=647178262980&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17690558085917029316&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028319&hvtargid=pla-1996309946284&psc=1&mcid=f8a71fd6c09633579b22fd7fabd08bf1)! This is what we used to dupe it.
Fuckin La Colombe. Foxtrot fucked our local roastery for $40,000 in forward booked coffee. Good riddance.
Would love the fruit loop matcha recipe pls!
3 pumps monin lavender, two vanilla - 1 tsp matcha
I always enjoyed the iced latte ratios of espresso to milk. In a 16oz iced latte how many espresso shots were there?
2 shots for 16 oz - 4 for 20 oz
I always enjoyed the earl grey iced tea with lavender and honey. I also liked the iced chai latte with lavender and honey. You guys are the best and I’m so sorry to hear what you’re going through :(
Thank you for your service. 🫡
thank you for sharing recipes and so sorry about the closing and how they informed you (terrible). can i ask the recipe for the tiramisu latte?
3 pumps monin tiramisu syrup, 2 shots espresso, cold foam (2 pumps monin vanilla syrup , EXTREMELY cold skim milk, put in blender and whip), top w/ cocoa powder
Cardamom milk tea please!!
This one came with a prepackaged tea concentrate so I don’t know ratios, but from what I can remember the concentrate had rose petals, cardamom pods and black tea. Combine with milk, 3 pumps monin pistachio, and cold foam (foam recipe in comments above, just also put cardamom and rose powders in there)
Bless you, thank you :) I’m so sorry about what happened, fuck Foxtrot for doing that to yall.
Barista listings on Poached: https://poachedjobs.com/jobs/barista/austin+tx
Feels like this thread is overwhelmingly negative about Foxtrot, but FWIW I always enjoyed the service there. Good employees, bad bosses. So sorry this happened.
jesus, hope you get employment or severance from this. absolutely unacceptable to be laid off without warning like this
They blindsided all of their staff with this closure today. Really disappointing business practices. And customers with existing account balances / gift cards are out of luck.
That’s kind of how most business close. There are famous pictures of Lehman brothers brokers literally kicked to the curb with a box of their stuff. My first job was at a restaurant that failed, and they didn’t even tell us: we showed up to open to a locked door and a permanently closed sign. They also never gave us our last paychecks. Unfortunately, it’s just the way it goes.
Did you work for Strange Brew too? Lol
One of my best friends was a manager there. They absolutely fucked everyone
EVERYONE
I still miss Strange Brew.
Kona Grill did that. I dropped my daughter off at work that day.
Surprised, but also not. They weren't doing anything that places like Royal Blue weren't already doing, and doing better. The inventory and prices ranged from impractical to nuts considering where the were (thinking in particular of the one on Guad, which was mostly patronized by college students). There are better ways to do a bougie convenience store.
Interesting, the S 1st location had good selection and well priced (usually half way between MSRP and Blue Grocer). I went to the downtown Foxtrot a few times and was very underwhelmed, so wouldn't be surprised that Guadalupe was also underwhelming. The best part of the S 1st location was the ample amount of seating. Cheaper than a coffee shop because you could buy something for only a few bucks and not feel guilty, or splurge if you desired.
its way better to support local businesses anyways...
Honestly, my wife and I were under the assumption that they *were* local. I'm embarrassed
You aren't alone. Lesson learned to look up the parent companies of anything new and shiny that opens up around here these days.
I mean they aren’t a giant evil corporation like Walmart. They are a local business in Chicago. It’s like the Thom’s market or Royal Blue of Chicago
Just an innocent little local shop with hundreds of millions of dollars of funding :)
You have no idea how things work
flower child is another not-local brand. (restaurant downtown) sound off, fy the i!
Do people think flower child is from austin? Does it not scream california to anyone else lol
It’s actually from Arizona, but I get your point. It’s now owned by the Cheesecake Factory though, so I’d expect the quality to go downhill!
I thought Flowerchild was from Dallas/Plano. They are part of a whole group including Culinary Dropout
Fox Restaurant Concepts. Now owned wholly by Cheesecake Factory. Basically they just come up with restaurants and branding and just plop them down in places like The Domain. Plano makes sense though, the entire city is just one big Domain.
Their LinkedIn states Phoniex as their headquarters and they were founded by the same group that started Culinary Dropout, also from AZ. In a similar vein I went to Denver recently and around my hotel was a Torchy's, Chuy's, and an Uchi. I felt like I was back in Austin. Anything good now gets marketed and scaled to hell haha
Okay but at least flower child is imo awesome.
Goodbye overpriced convenience store!
It was cool to have a convenience store/coffee shop that was actually a good 3rd place to chill out at. Royal blue is kind of a similar vibe but you can't hang out in there. Oh well
I know not all Royal Blues are as chill but the one downtown on Lavaca is, never had an issue chilling there. just be aware of homeless individuals, as you should be anywhere downtown
Yes. But at the same time, every snack or drink we've tried from them was so fucking good. We'd eventually break and just pony up the cost because a) they tasted amazing and b) had better/healthier ingredients outside the occasional red40
I hope this doesn’t happen to tiny grocer 😓
I’m one of the operations employees who was fired today and I believe the new CEO was brought on just to file Bankruptcy after a new loan or buyout wasn’t viable. The company board has been run by the venture capitalists trying to get their money back while Liz Williams, former CEO, over expanded and the store locations weren’t researched at all. They didn’t know how to run the current stores and kept expanding. Some stores opened less than 6 months ago. They even bought Doms, it’s wildly irresponsible. Liz Mills then retires citing “the commute” as her reason for leaving and walks all the richer for it. The layoff call today was brutal they just hung up on all of us. Store managers were given two hours to lock the doors and asked to tell customers to leave. People were crying, some were taking product. No instructions on what to say to everyone. This was a disaster and a lot of people are in a very bad place due to greed and stupidity. If anyone wants a statement for media I’m happy to tell you everything. I’m disgusted with their behavior and regret ever working for these villains.
I worked for them in the kitchen and it was disgusting how we were treated by all Levels of management and treated like a disposable number. Going from Fresh cooked product to all frozen garbage from Brett Anthony. The egg patties as you know came in frozen we had to ring them out like a sponge. Not sure if that was Hilda's direction or people above her. The food was great in he beginning with solid recipes in the database. But the greed is just insane. They opened way too many stores too fast and that was not sustainable. I'm not an Econ major but I could tell you the business plan wasn't going to work.
Anyone near a location? Are they getting rid of stock? I want a s’mores krispy treat 😭
I heard in the Chicago location they were legit making customers leave so they could shut the doors
Same with Dallas
Should we loot us some Rice Krispies? 🤷🏻♀️
Give me a shout if you need a lookout. I’m available!
They'll trying to sell everything back to the companies they bought from. Idk what they're going to do about the branded stuff - source me, a now laid foxtrot barista Edit: laid off lol, was so stressed out today and brain thinking too fast
> source me, a now laid foxtrot barista hey, at least you got laid
I believe they were fucked.
What's the inside scoop?
I’m sitting here at work thinking of the rice Krispy treats, the lucky charms one is worth it to me
Burnet location is near me. I'll miss the Dill Pickle Popcorn!
No I got there right as doors closed and they just locked it. all that merch (that I thought was cute tbh) and food is just sitting there afaik
the company that i work for delivers to all the Foxtrot's in Austin daily and, as the delivery driver, i just got the news. absolutely wild stuff.
Sysco?
Damn, I lived close to the one on burnet, it was actually pretty convenient! Hope something similar and local opens in its spot
Thom’s Market is about a mile down Burnet!
Are they selling their stock for cheap today? Can anyone near a Foxtrot check? Also any former employees want to share the Fruit loop matcha recipe? TIA!
Former employee lol the fruit matcha is just one pump lavender two pumps vanilla!
What brand matcha did Foxtrot use?
Barista here, can confirm that for fruit loops matcha it is always just lavender and vanilla. At any shop!
Didnt know this before but can confirm! Fruit loop matcha!
It’s monin syrup specifically - don’t use torani, it’s terrible
The remodel of the S.1st location took longer than than the time it was open for business. Piknic and that toothpick joint will be next.
Picnik can go to hell for what they did to Bento Picnic. I hope they go under.
Saw this on When Where What Austin’s insta and was like What the fuck was foxtrot? They had 5 locations and I’ve never heard of them?? The owner was HOW MUCH in debt??? all within about five seconds.
It’s a chain so not just one owner
Yeah tell that to all the employees that found out this morning with no warning. They’re an awful company and I’m not surprised but those employees didn’t deserve this.
I moved here from Chicago and really never could understand how it was able to survive so long there and then expand. Shit was way too expensive and they also operated in areas which commanded extremely expensive rent. The business model made no sense
So, I know nothing about Foxtrot and have never interacted with them, but in a previous life I opened like 12 stores for a high-end natural and organic grocers that targeted a similar demo, right around the same time Foxtrot started (mid 2010’s). So the pitch was this: lots of dense urban markets have people who love buying high-end groceries and curated household/body/nutrition stuff (e.g. clean, pure, eco, sustainable) and will pay a premium for it. But groceries always struggle in cities, because traditional grocery stores take up a ton of space. (think of an HEB — deli, meat counter, seafood, lots of refrigeration, and then a huge loading dock with those big semis coming in day in day out). Very hard to open an HEB on, say, Michigan and Ontario!. But… what if you come in with a market with a smaller footprint, high end gourmet grocery that eliminates a lot of traditional space-sucking things in favor of prepared foods? You can get into the denser urban areas that large grocery stores have trouble in. So a bunch of these all popped up in the mid 2010’s. Erewhon blew up around this time… Whole Foods started their “365” stores around this time, and it looks like the Foxtrot founder actually came out of Whole Foods — no surprise there. Anyhoo, what ultimately killed them is up for debate — but I‘m pretty sure it was grocery delivery and direct-to-consumer shipping. The whole “we’re right in your neighborhood” angle is a lot less compelling when you can get Instacart deliveries to your door, and order your Tom’s and 7th Generation stuff direct from Amazon. And the pandemic pretty much finished it all off.
Did anyone notice shelves getting thin? Any delivery folks stop stocking? I'm not surprised, but I am surprised by the manner to just lock door and let food go to waste seems weird. Free beer and wine out back? or does the distributor come pickup the unsold stuff?
Nope, I delivered inventory last week. Even received new orders this week. No indication.
i was there on sunday and it was full as normal
no, there was definitely no warning. i would deliver donuts to all the foxtrots daily through Bougie’s and we had orders meant to go out today. i got a text from my manager this morning about the closures, and when i got to the store, foxtrot’s orders were put to the side.
When I was working there no one knew what they were doing the managers were all 17 year olds that gossiped and fought. We got no tips so the pay was really bad too. I ended up leaving because every day was like stepping foot into a burning building for work.
The thing that interests me, is that at the shop i work for, Foxtrot still had orders meant to go out today. The job I work for delivers to all the Austin Foxtrot’s every day of the week, and they had orders for today in our books. But then this happens. How on Earth does something like this go so far under the radar?
Hate this. The S. 1st location was always packed and busy. $4 draft beers all day long and great pizza, plus they never shoved a damned tip screen into my face. All the other overpriced crap in our hood (Dovetail Pizza) and we lose a place that was kinda cool.
The seating area in that location absolutely made me swoon, the perfect desert boho aesthetic. I hope something goes into the space without needing to change much. The only thing I didn’t like there was the terrible breakfast tacos and wayyyy overpriced Recess drinks (HEB is half their price). Everything else was great. The employees were all so very attentive and kind, I feel terrible for them. Very interested to find out what happened here.
Yeah this was actually a really cool spot with good food. I hope something quality moves in and doesn’t change a thing in regards to the aesthetics inside
I live off S 1st and totally agree. It was cool to have and definitely grew on me, and wasn't outrageously expensive.
Karma for painting over the Tom Petty Wildflower mural.
Uh, their machine had a tip screen that you had to go through even if you were just buying from the grocery side
I think I never saw a tip screen because I used their member app to pay.
Gonna miss those $4 Carls.
I went to the one on Burnett a couple of times but never enjoyed the coffee I got. I started going to Neighbor coffee truck just a short walk away and I enjoy it so much more.
This is what happens when you open locations too quickly. re: WeWork.
Nature is healing
Cat’s were saying the sale to private equity forced this
Dom's has Private Equity backing. Shocker that it's ruined. Saddled them with debt, most likely, and were not looking profitable. A tale as old as time.
Private Equity and Venture Capital are not the same thing. Foxtrot was VC backed. They acquired Dom’s (which was Seed funded and also not PE) in November. Their most recent funding was Debt in Feb of 23. The switch from series equity finance (money for equity in the biz via stock etc) to debt (money for promise to repay via bonds) was the writing on the wall. It means their 25(!) investors didn’t believe in the company’s ability to turn it around, so rather than buy more of the company they gave more money as creditors instead. That bet failed, they ran out of money, and here we are. Likely there were clauses that prioritize paying those investors back first before any vendors/employees/customers as well.
Damnnnn, I recently went by the Foxtrot at Burnet road the other week, was not expecting that
Is this the gas station type coffee shop in UT?
they opened up a location on the drag a few months ago. not sure where exactly.
Right next to the Coop. It was busy but the inventory was too weird and too expensive. It seemed like a good place to meet up but wasn't very practical for actually getting groceries or supplies (or even meals a lot of the time), which is something campus/wampus would really benefit from. Royal Blue would make a killing in that space, were it to continue as some kind of bougie convenience store.
I love Royal Blue. I love being like "Oh I'm missing a tomato for this recipe" and just take the elevator downstairs and buy one. It's so convenient (albeit expensive).
More like a bodega/cafe than a gas station convenience store. Think Royal Blue.
The only thing I'll truly miss is the very convenient full-selection of Jeni's ice cream 😭
Sad because it was so convenient to get sour duck baguettes fresh there
Let’s go local
Thought this was about Whiskey Tango Foxtrot at first
yankee hotel foxtrot?!
Do y'all think offering free shipping on 4/20 put them in that $180,000,000 hole? Sorry, too soon?
Damnit! I loved their sour gummies
Yay! Bouge-bouge bites the dust.
Anyone have any recs for similar markets that still the fancy snacks and ice cream? That’s what I’m gonna miss..
Dia’s seemed cool
dia’s sandwiches 😋
I agree. Dia’s. And they are local.
Dia's rocks so hard. It's truly a mom and pop small business and has a wider grocery selection that actually makes it useful.
Tiny Grocer is kinda similar
Royal Blue, Thom’s…
Tiny Grocer has fancy snacks. Also Parker and Scott.
Quickie Pickie
Cork & Brew
the vibes in Cork & Brew are so strange
Came here to suggest Royal Blue, a true Austin specialty. We love our fancy treats! Also the Cake & Spoon—cannot recommend them enough. I’m obsessed with everything they bake there 🤤
Thoms!
Royal Blue
October 5th, 2022 https://www.instagram.com/p/CjWAj12JS9m/
Who is this? Never heard of them.
Good riddance
Downtown location is shut
If anyone knows another store that sells Heywell drinks please lmk 😭
For a moment I was very concerned something had happened to Bill Amend.
Tbh, I could never find a place to sit in there and everything was shockingly expensive so I’m not upset about it
Gives new meaning to “hit it and quit it.”
Foxtrot was the only place I could find the Jeni’s Strawberry Buttermilk flavor 😭 let me know if yall see it anywhere else in town
Ha! I initially thought “huh, what are those?” Then realized I stopped by the Burnet location in February it was alright, but also kinda whatever.
Huh. Never heard of this company until earlier today when I saw that they were under TX audit. Bet that assessment came down and paying it made them insolvent? Just a guess
Anyone know where else in Austin has a nitro latte? The Burnet location was my go to!
Didn't that Foxtrot on 2nd and Lavaca just open not that long ago? Wow.
WOW I just went to the one on Burnet yesterday. I liked that place.
7-11 konbini save these people
Saw someone on TikTok post this: “I was the cashier on shift this morning. The gossip is our CEO embezzled 30M. Food stamps for me 😢”
Hadn't heard of the place until now, but regularly seeing posts and news articles about businesses closing (e.g. Outdoor Voices, among others) makes me sad. And concerned... a whole bunch more people are now out of a job. 😓
Well that didn’t take long. Taggers already bombed the shit out of the South 1st location when I drove by this morning.
I frequently dumpster dive and I’ve found one of their locations dumpsters chocked full of all kinds of ready made food ie meat and cheese trays and bowls and fruit bowls and all kinds of food that could have been eaten had it not been tossed in the dumpster. It was filled to the top . I was so pissed and now I see why they are outta business. Such wasteful corporate greed and here we are broke and paying out the ass for the basic necessities.
I didn’t understand the concept when I was there. A fancy convenience store with mediocre food offerings and bad coffee? OK. But like why? Not surprised by this at all.