La Madeleine Country French Café, the acclaimed, authentic country French bakery café, announced significant expansion for the brand that will bring the company’s first two cafés to Florida.
“We are coming to Orlando with great excitement and eagerness,” says John Cahill, president of la Madeleine. “This announcement represents a significant step in our growth strategy.”
Known for its French cuisine handcrafted daily with fresh, seasonally inspired ingredients and comfortable, welcoming atmosphere, Dallas-based la Madeleine will arrive this fall at Orlando’s Florida Mall and Millennia Mall. The two cafés will be the restaurant company’s first locations in Florida. The restaurants are a joint venture between la Madeleine and Intram Investments Inc.
“Intram Investments Inc. is a valued partner for our brand,” Cahill says. “We have worked with them to open several successful cafés in Texas, Their extensive knowledge and 25 years of experience in restaurants and real estate in Florida will be instrumental with our café introduction in Orlando.”
The café at the popular, high-traffic Florida Mall will be part of the newly expanded food court of nearly 30 retailers. At Millennia Mall, la Madeleine will be situated on the mall’s perimeter in a 6,000-square-foot freestanding restaurant. The café will also include a Maison de Coffee, or French coffeehouse.
The distinctive bakery café brings tastes of the French country to America. Freshly prepared, handcrafted menu items include specialties, such as omelettes and quiche for breakfast, homemade soupes, salads, and sandwiches for lunch, and dinner entrées, savory crêpes, and pastas, as well as authentic French pâtisseries, viennoiserie, and breads.
“Our casual French bakery cafés become entrenched into the fabric of each community and Orlando is the perfect place for our brand and its growing fan base,” Cahill adds.
As one of the originators of the French casual concept, la Madeleine was founded in 1983 by French country entrepreneur Patrick Esquerré and has continued to be an industry innovator since then. La Madeleine is committed to using the season’s freshest ingredients and adapting to guests’ varied tastes, while maintaining its French authenticity both on the menu and in each café’s warm and comfortable interior.
“Using real, wholesome ingredients and writing our recipes using classic French techniques has let us craft unique products that create an addiction with our guests,” says Susan Dederen, vice president of culinary for la Madeleine. “We call it French with a wink … taking the best foods of France and using the best ingredients from the United States, we ensure the freshest products for our guests.”
From its founding to today, the brand has also always made giving back to the community a high priority. Since 2012, la Madeleine has focused on the fight to help end childhood hunger, raising an average of $250,000 a year.