Two weeks’ notice? What if I give you 2 hours’ notice?
Two blind Foxtrot Market employees captured the moment they and hundreds of other employees at the popular cafe chain found themselves out of work after the company’s bankruptcy was revealed on Tuesday.
“So I just found out that our store will be closing at 12pm today,” said a TikTok user @sadkiwigirl he explained, joining another Foxtrot Cafe employee who seemed caught off guard by the news.
While I was filming a TikTok, a co-worker told me that it was now 10:14 a.m., which meant she was leaving work in less than two hours and would never come back.
Clarifying the strangeness of the situation, the employee, also known as Julia, reiterated that “the chain is closed.”
“I have a few more hours left on my shift…when can I get my 30th?” the TikToker joked.
She noted that the cafe was full of people enjoying coffee and working on laptops in the dining area while two employees soaked in the confusion of the situation.
The video then cuts to the last customer leaving the store, with a caption on the screen that reads, “We kicked out all the customers!!”
“I found out 2 hours ago that my company is closing nationwide!!!” Does anyone know how to apply for unemployment insurance? the TikToker captioned her video, which has already racked up 2.8 million views.
Foxtrot unexpectedly closed all 33 stores in the Illinois, Texas, and Washington, D.C., areas on April 23, according to a company statement. statement.
The closures also included two Dom’s Kitchen & Market grocery stores owned by the company.
“We have explored numerous avenues to continue our operations, but despite our good faith and exhaustive efforts, we have not found a viable option,” the company wrote.
“We understand this news is shocking and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market have announced a merger to create an entity called Outfox Hospitality in late 2023, according to reports. Substack Newsletter Snapshot.
However, Outfox Hospitality filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy just days before closing.
The company did not mention filing for bankruptcy in its statement.
The now-defunct hospitality company has also terminated employment of corporate staff.
Outfox employs approximately 1,000 people across multiple states.
All employees who were abruptly terminated were reportedly not offered any form of severance package.
However, we reported that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Outfox Hospitality on behalf of former employees. progressive grocery store — the day after the company fired its staff without notice.
Lawyers allege that Outfox Hospitality violates the U.S. Department of Labor’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice (caveat) Conducted mass layoffs of employees without adequate warning (60 days’ notice required in most cases).
WARN applies even if a company files for bankruptcy.
The application seeks compensation for 60 days of unpaid wages and salaries for all terminated employees and requests payment of all holiday and vacation pay.
The former employee’s legal representative also requested a jury trial, the newspaper said.
While the situation seemed chaotic, TikTok users who watched the viral video seemed just as confused as she was.
One user wrote: “Since they gave you no warning to choose another job, I’m definitely going to consider suing or see if you’re entitled to any compensation.” commented.
“It’s also crazy because BC Foxtrot is always so busy. So where does that money go?” asked another.
“Remember that if there’s any dirt on you, they can’t prevent you from telling everyone unless they’re still paying you or you’ve signed some kind of severance agreement.” Please keep it!” wrote another.
