Dallas' beloved La Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe is opening an exciting new bakery in Uptown Dallas, on the ground floor of High Street Residential's Residences at Park District, a new mixed-use development at 2100 Olive St. It's slated to debut in summer 2020.
According to spokesperson Jacqueline O'Reilly, this location represents a brand new petite format that will be tailored to meet the needs of the building and the neighborhood.
At 2,500 square feet, it will occupy a smaller footprint than the usual 4,500 to 5,000 square feet of a typical la Madeleine, with a sharper focus on convenience and flexibility including an array of to-go foods. The location will also feature a vastly expanded coffee and espresso program, and a bigger commitment to croissants.
Philippe Jean, Le Duff America chief operating officer and president of la Madeleine, calls it "our famous la Madeleine flavors, in a modern, convenience-oriented setting."
Founded in 1983, and owned by Rennes, France-based Groupe Le Duff, la Madeleine has 22 locations in Dallas-Fort Worth, including the original on Mockingbird Lane across from SMU. The closest location to Uptown is the restaurant in the San Jacinto Tower in downtown Dallas at 2100 Ross Ave., which is open weekdays until 3 pm.
The new Uptown bakery will have longer hours: seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and after-five.
"It's a completely new la Madeleine experience," O'Reilly says. "We're bringing forward the famous recipes la Madeleine is known for, of course, but are excited to introduce guests to many new, bakery, salad, sandwich and shareable offerings."
"The vibe of la Madeleine Park District is a modern, charming French escape," she says. "Our landlord at Park District was looking for something special, so this was the perfect opportunity for us to create a daily French retreat for guests, a place that people feel welcome throughout the day."
She says that la Madeleine classics will be front and center including their signature salads and soups, plus French viennoiserie, pâtisserie, coffee, wine, and sandwiches — "but with a lot of awesome menu innovations," including dishes they culled from R&D trips to France.
They'll also be promoting their catering services, which are a hot commodity in the downtown/Uptown areas.
The Residences are a part of Park District, which includes offices, restaurants, and luxury residences. The residential tower, which was developed by High Street Residential, the residential subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company, and joint venture partner, MetLife Investment Management, is connected via a grand plaza to PwC Tower at Park District. Le Madeleine will have pedestrian access via the plaza and Olive Street and feature multiple outdoor patios.
The space will incorporate two shaded patios and boast a quaint French-bakery façade, but the interior will be an open design, a departure from their traditional homey floor plan. Seating options will include bar stools running along the windows, a community table, and banquettes.
O'Reilly says they've opened a number of locations in the past few years, but most outside Dallas including Washington, DC, Phoenix, and El Paso.
"This will be the first DFW area opening since 2015," she says. "It's our home market where it all started on Mockingbird Lane. We feel proud and excited to see how this differerent type of la Madeleine experience will perform."
