The hustle and bustle of The Drag meets its newest addition: The latest Foxtrot storefront opened Saturday, Aug. 26 on Guadalupe Street.
Foxtrot, a Chicago-based company, started as an E-commerce grocery delivery platform through an app called Foxtrot Delivery Market. Since then, the company launched a total of 29 Foxtrot storefronts across the US in Illinois, Texas, DC, Virginia and Maryland. The four Austin locations began with the Burnet Road location in February of 2023, and the latest, on The Drag, underwent construction over the summer.
Foxtrot operates as a hybrid convenience store and cafe at its storefront and home delivery service via the Foxtrot app. The company also offers a free membership program that provides perks such as free delivery, discounts and additional food options.
Foxtrot CEO Liz Williams said the company feels excited about their storefronts in Austin, specifically near UT. Both Williams and co-founder Taylor Bloom attended UT Austin for a BBA and master’s in computer science respectively. Williams said when she joined the Foxtrot team, the company already planned to build a location on Guadalupe.
“(Taylor and I) held this site up on a really high pedestal in wanting to make sure it’s perfect for the University and for the students,” Williams said.
With UT in mind, the Foxtrot team made sure to incorporate the University’s spirit at its latest location. Foxtrot reached out to UT directly for the exact Pantone color of burnt orange to blend one of the specialties of the cafe and UT, Williams said.
“(Our designers) sent that color over to Italy, and had this espresso machine custom made for this location,” Williams said. “One of the things that really sticks out when you walk in the door is our first orange espresso machine.”
Katia Resendez, a chemistry senior at St. Edward’s University, said she started as a customer at the South First & Annie Foxtrot location because of their healthier snacks and smoothies. Resendez now works as an employee at the Guadalupe location and said she looked forward to its opening.
“(I am most excited about) the campus life,” Resendez said. “It’s really fun to see a whole different side of Austin.”
Students’ curiosity surrounding the establishment grew as finishing touches took place during the first week of school. Shreya Sahu, a public health junior, said she stopped by the grand opening after seeing the outside so often walking down Guadalupe.
“It’s a lot different than the other cafes on campus,” Sahu said “The food options and some of the snack options are really nice. It will definitely be convenient for me to come here.”
Williams said Foxtrot hopes to be a place for any time of day and looks forward to becoming a part of the University community.
“(I am) very familiar with the life of living over on West Campus and walking across campus to go to class and walking down The Drag,” Williams said. “I wish that there was a Foxtrot when I was a student.”
