News

La Madeleine bolsters executive team to double unit count

June 11, 2014

La Madeleine Country French Café has announced plans to double the size of its U.S. footprint in select markets. The initiative will include both corporate and franchise café expansion, according to a news release.

The brand recently marked corporate openings in the Dallas and Austin, Texas, markets, as well as three franchised locations so far in 2014. Three new corporate cafes are set to open this summer in Texas and Washington, D.C. Franchised locations are also in development in Colorado.

“Momentum is on our side,” COO John Cahill said in the release. “There is a buzz surrounding the brand. We are clicking with consumers and restaurant franchise groups alike. The brand is in a class unto itself and it is positioned perfectly for robust expansion. The talented leadership team we have in place is guiding the company into an exciting timeframe.”

To support the growth, la Madeleine has made a series of executive hires and promotions. They include:

• Lisken Kastalanych, VP of Marketing. Kastalanych joins the company from a similar role at Pollo Campero. Prior to that, she served in marketing leadership roles, both domestically and internationally for more than a decade, at Pizza Hut – Yum! Restaurants. Her position at la Madeleine includes oversight of marketing on all levels, as well leading a host of brand growth initiatives, the release said.
• Sam Kaufman, VP of Finance. Kaufman was promoted after more than five years as senior director of financial planning for la Madeleine. He began working in financial roles at restaurant companies nearly 15 years ago.
• Joe Pate, regional VP of Operations. Pate began his career at la Madeleine as a café manager and steadily climbed the ranks throughout the years, most recently holding the post of senior director of operations.
• Todd Peacock, regional VP of Operations. Peacock also joined la Madeleine as café manager more than 17 years ago. Now, regional vice president of operations, he is overseeing restaurant performance for the Dallas-Fort Worth and Louisiana markets.
• Ty Fichtner, senior director of Franchise Operations. Fichtner returns to la Madeleine in a new role as the senior director of franchise operations. A 35-plus year restaurant industry veteran, Fichtner most recently served as director of franchise operations for Brioche Dorée in North America.

Nontraditional expansion continues at DFW International

La Madeleine also announced this week that it will open a new location at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport’s A Terminal in October. This will mark the fifth airport location to sign a deal since the inception of the company’s nontraditional growth plan in 2011. As part of this strategy, la Madeleine has partnered with HMSHost to open the brand’s first location in DFW International.