Foxtrot Plans Lake View and Lincoln Park Openings in Chicago

Specialty grocer expands its Chicago return with two neighborhood locations

CHICAGO, Illinois — Specialty grocer Foxtrot plans to open new stores in Lake View and Lincoln Park next year, extending the company’s return to Chicago after its abrupt 2024 shutdown and bankruptcy.

The Lake View store will occupy a former Ann Sather Restaurant space at 917 W. Belmont Ave., inside Belmora, a new mixed-use residential development. Foxtrot said Wednesday that the site’s pedestrian-friendly setting and access to public transportation helped make it a suitable location for the company’s next Chicago outpost.

“Foxtrot was created as a neighborhood gathering place, and Belmora’s walkable, transit-oriented location makes it a natural fit for our next Chicago store,” Chief Operating Officer Jason DaPisa said in a statement.

Belmont Avenue store will join new apartment development

Belmora is a five-story project from Chicago-based Mavrek Development. Its first phase, at 919 W. Belmont Ave., is expected to open in the fall and will include 46 apartments. Pre-leasing has begun through real estate firm Cross Street.

A second Belmora phase at 917 W. Belmont Ave., where Foxtrot is planned, is also expected to include 46 apartments, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. Mavrek Development and Cross Street did not respond to requests for comment about the project.

Foxtrot’s Lake View return comes after the retailer previously operated nearby at North Clark Street and West Diversey Parkway before its former parent company closed all Foxtrot locations. DaPisa said the new store is intended to serve neighborhood customers throughout the day, offering items such as coffee, breakfast tacos, paninis, sweets, wine and last-minute grocery products.

Lincoln Park location planned for North Clark Street

The company’s other planned Chicago opening is at 2600 N. Clark St. in Lincoln Park. That property previously housed Affordable Portables and Dunlay’s and is being redeveloped as a mixed-use building with street-level retail and apartments, including affordable units.

The two planned openings mark another step in Foxtrot’s effort to rebuild its physical footprint after a sudden collapse that disrupted customers, employees and commercial landlords across several major cities. In April 2024, Foxtrot parent Outfox Hospitality shut down all of its locations. The company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy the following month.

Foxtrot’s assets were later sold through an online auction to New York investment firm Further Point Enterprises for $2.2 million. Further Point brought back several leaders from the prior business, including Foxtrot co-founder Mike LaVitola, who became chairman.

Since the closures, Foxtrot has reopened nine Chicago stores and two locations in Dallas. The Lake View and Lincoln Park projects would add to that recovery, though the company has not announced specific opening dates for either site.