La Madeleine Cafe closes favorite longtime Dallas neighborhood location

Salads and croissants are their bread and butter.

La Madeleine Cafe

A longtime location of La Madeleine, the Dallas-based French-inspired bakery and cafe, has closed. It's the location at 3906 Lemmon Ave. and it closed on October 6.

The closure, news of which first circulated on Facebook, was originally framed as temporary. The restaurant posted a note on its door stating that it was "temporarily closed," and a representative from the building management said that the restaurant experienced a plumbing leak and that crews were on site making repairs.

But a La Madeleine spokesperson said in a statement that the chain had made "the difficult decision" to close that location for good, thanking customers for their patronage and directing them to nearby cafes on Mockingbird Lane and Park District.

The Lemmon Avenue cafe opened shortly after the 1983 opening of the original location by SMU, and served as a reliable destination for residents in the area and employees at nearby businesses.

Its convenient location and ample parking lot made it a popular meet-up spot. They also had a sizable event room that they made available for free to neighborhood organizations, homeowners association meetings, and the like.

In 2017, the property was acquired by H-E-B Grocery, which at the time provoked a flurry of rumors about a Central Market opening in that space. H-E-B still owns the building, but a spokesperson said that "there are no development plans for the site at this time." Other tenants in the building are also long-timers and include a psychologist's office, a chiropractor, and a voice coach.

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. In July 2021, they re-opened the original location which had been renovated with more outdoor seating and a bigger grab-and-go area.

The company 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, created specifically for its Walmart locations.

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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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