Foxtrot closed 33 of its doors Tuesday following an announcement that its parent company, Outfox Hospitality, filed for bankruptcy.
For the SMU community, Foxtrot was truly the neighborhood market. It was located off Hillcrest next to Snider Plaza.
Foxtrot served as a popular space for many students to grab a snack, get a coffee or study for classes, as it was an easy walk from campus.
As the news spread, SMU students and staff went to Foxtrot to see for themselves, with some people left in disbelief that it was closed.
“I saw it today on Instagram and so we were just walking by to see if it was true,” Natasha Walker, administrative assistant to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the Faculty at the SMU Dedman School of Law said. “We come over here all time for little treats and snacks, just to take a break.”
SMU junior and former Foxtrot employee, Kelsey D’Esopo, said that she learned about the shop’s closing at the same time everyone else did.
“We found out at the same time as the general public through the Instagram message and my boss’ text message that morning.”
D’Esopo has since applied to other coffeehouses in the area and is waiting to hear back from these locations. She is concerned that Foxtrot’s abrupt closure will now prove to present new financial challenges for her.
“Groceries are just so expensive now that not having a job for any amount of time is honestly terrifying,” D’Esopo said.
Though D’Esopo enjoyed the environment Foxtrot fostered and the shop’s staff, some employees are abandoning the happy memories in favor of legal action. Following Foxtrot’s abrupt closing, former employees are suing the company for violating their rights.
According to Crain’s Business Chicago, the suit cites the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which would have given Foxtrot’s employees “60 days of backpay and compensation required for employees under the WARN Act.”
The United States Department of Labor explained the WARN Act allots a 60 day calendar notice before termination.
SMU senior and former Foxtrot employee, Asher Ross, said he’s desperate to find a new job as graduation quickly approaches.
“I’ve been applying to a lot of places. I was about to work full time at Foxtrot with classes coming to a close and this was a major setback for me,” Ross said. “I’m moving to New York in August and need to save up money for living expenses.”
Foxtrot’s closing is a major loss for many and as the company faces a pending lawsuit its cause for closing remains unknown.
“Foxtrot did not pay employees well or offer many additional perks to customers,” Ross explained. “However, it was a place that I had worked hard at and was comfy for me.”
Bella Edmonson and Cloi Bryan contributed to this story.
