Parent company of Foxtrot Market, Dom’s Kitchen taps Whole Foods vet as CEO
Outfox Hospitality has named a 27-year Whole Foods Market veteran as its new chief executive.
The parent holding company for Chicago-based Foxtrot Market and Dom’s Kitchen and Market appointed Rob Twyman as CEO, effective March 11. He succeeds Liz Williams, who has served as CEO of Foxtrot since April 2023 and was named to the top position at Outfox in November, when the merger between Foxtrot and Dom’s was announced.
Twyman brings more than three decades of retail and wholesale food industry experience, including 27 years in leadership roles at Whole Foods Market. Most recently, he served as CEO of Daily Table, a non-profit grocery chain dedicated to providing affordable, nutritious foods to communities in need, while also consulting for early stage CPG companies, to help them scale and actualize their strategic growth.
While at Whole Foods, Twyman held a variety of roles, including executive VP of global operations, overseeing company operations throughout the US and Canada, from 2019 to 2021.
As CEO of Outfox, Twyman will oversee Dom’s & Foxtrot's continued within the current markets of Chicago, Austin, Dallas and Washington, D.C., metropolitan areas, and new markets across the country.
“Rob is a visionary in the grocery retail space having transformed the consumer food and beverage supermarket experience for over three decades,” said Dom’s Kitchen & Market’s co-founder and chairman Jay Owen. “We are confident he is the right leader to guide Outfox Hospitality to new heights as we lead the evolution of the future of food, snacking and redefining your neighborhood market.”
Owen, along with Bob Mariano, co-founder and co-chairman of Dom’s, and Mike LaVitola, co-founder of Foxtrot, will continue to hold advisor and board roles within the organization.
“I’m honored to announce my appointment as CEO of Outfox Hospitality and thrilled to be leading an incredible team at the forefront of innovation in the food & beverage retail experience,” Twyman said. “Together, we’ll set new standards of excellence, discovery and convenience centered around the joy of food.”
Founded in 2013, Foxtrot combines an upscale corner store and café with app-based purchasing that provides 30-minute deliveries. Stores offer a wide variety of products, including freshly crafted chef-prepared meals, premium groceries, wine, snacks and sweets, personal care products, and gifts. The brand curates its selection with up-and-coming brands and highly local favorites along with an inviting café experience.
Dom’s, which launched in 2021, has locations in Chicago’s Lincoln Park and Old Town neighborhoods, with a third set to open in summer 2024, in the city’s River North district. Stores are designed as neighborhood hubs and offer curated market products, chef-crafted meals and in-store dining.