Croissant News

Dallas' venerable original La Madeleine to reopen after big makeover

The location first opened in 1983.

Photo courtesy of La Madeleine

The La Madeline French Bakery & Café located on Mockingbird Lane near SMU is set to reopen on Saturday, July 24.

According to a release, the location has been temporarily closed for renovations for a few weeks.

This is the original La Madeleine, which opened at 3072 Mockingbird Ln. in 1983. It's where they developed La Madeleine's mission. Where they created the tomato basil soup, and first started putting out trays of sliced bread and bins of jam, to which you could help yourself.

That free bread thing is one tradition that met its demise thanks to COVID-19 - although the company surely can't be lamenting what was definitely a big area for greedy abuse not to mention waste, since how many people do you know would take three slices of bread because it was free and then not eat it all because it was, after all, free?

La Madeleine has been undergoing some serious changes to get it up to speed with modern times, beginning in early 2020 with a new "petite" format store they debuted in downtown Dallas, tailored to meet the needs of the building and the neighborhood, with a smaller footprint and a sharper focus on convenience and flexibility including an array of to-go foods.

In February 2021, they introduced a new prototype store in Addison with brand-new features that included a scratch-baking process visible to diners as well as the chain's very first drive-thru.

The company has also partnered with Walmart on a new prototype concept called La Madeleine Express, featuring fan favorites like Chicken Caesar Salad and Tomato Basil Soup, as well as new items including pizzas, that have been created specifically for its Walmart locations. La Madeleine Express will initially open in 10 test locations, with the first expected to open in Garland in July.

Founded in 1983, and owned by Rennes, France-based Groupe Le Duff, la Madeleine has 22 locations in Dallas-Fort Worth. That includes the original on Mockingbird Lane, which will now boast a brighter, fresher interior and new décor. Farewell, gnarly wood and charming Euro-style dining nooks.

The update will also offer increased access to outdoor seating and a new grab-n-go cooler for guests who want to quickly grab food to-go.

In order to ramp up the excitement over this remodel, they're celebrating by giving away free bread for a year to the first 50 dine-in customers — a little something to ease the blow of a 40-year-old institution getting its inevitable update.

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RIP Al

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat dies at 69 after ALS battle

Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, RIP

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, founder of the acclaimed local steakhouse Al Biernat's, passed away on November 13, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; he was 69.

Biernat was one of Dallas' all-time great hospitality figures, dating back to his days at The Palm steakhouse, for whom he worked in Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas.

Biernat founded his namesake restaurant in 1998 on Oak Lawn Avenue, where his standard of excellence and doting charm made it a destination for special occasions, Park Cities swells, and celebrities in town.

His sense of hospitality had little competition in Dallas. He was a charming and personable host who genuinely liked people, and it didn't matter whether you were Conan O'Brien, David Crosby, or one of the other high-profile diners that visited his restaurants — or else just a regular schlub: He had a knack for making everyone feel special and remembered.

Biernat was born on August 20, 1955 and grew up in Michigan, then lived in Colorado, New York, Los Angeles, and Houston, before moving to Dallas to work at The Palm in the West End, where his dynamic presence gave the restaurant an incomparable vitality; it closed in 2017.

He opened Al Biernat's at 4217 Oak Lawn Ave. in 1998, followed by a second location in North Dallas at 5251 Spring Valley Rd. in 2017.

He began to experience ALS symptoms in May 2023, was diagnosed in December, and revealed his condition in February 2024. The revelation was met with an outpouring of sympathy and well wishes from the hospitality industry — a sign of the high regard in which he was held.

The average life expectancy for people with ALS is two to five years after diagnosis. Symptoms can begin in the muscles that control speech and swallowing, or in the hands, arms, legs, or feet. He began to have difficulty communicating in September, and spent his last days in a hospice.

On September 18, he broached the topic of dying, before ending on a note of gratitude to friends and family.

"Having Bulbar ALS I am realistic about my future," he said. "Friends and family have asked me if I’m afraid of dying, and this is what I say to them. Because of the salvation of Jesus, I will be rejoicing in my spirit to see him in all of his glory. Since we are all flesh, soul, and spirit, only my flesh is being left behind. But don’t get me wrong, I have a blessed life in this world, with a loving wife, and a beautiful family and many wonderful and caring friends. I am grateful!"

Both Al Biernat's locations will continue to remain open under the management of Biernat's nephew Brad Fuller, as they have for nearly the past two years.

Biernat is survived by Fuller, as well as his wife Jeannie and three daughters: Angelica Saylor, Kaitlin Biernat Connell, and Jess Biernat, plus five grandsons and two granddaughters. . According to family members, details regarding a celebration of his life will be announced soon.

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