Walmart to pilot in-store La Madeleine bakery cafés

Walmart is slated to test scaled-down La Madeleine French Bakery & Café restaurants inside selected stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Dallas-based La Madeleine said yesterday that Madeleine Express locations will be piloted at 10 Walmart stores, starting in Garland, Texas, in July. Plans call for the other nine Express restaurants to open shortly thereafter.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that La Madeleine Express outlets are planned for Walmart stores at 6300 Oakmont Blvd. in Fort Worth; 6401 N.E. Loop 820 in North Richland Hills, 1616 W. Henderson St. in Cleburne; and 735 U.S. 377 East in Granbury, Texas, as well as at stores in the Dallas and Denton areas.

The Express prototype features a smaller footprint, ranging from 980 to 2,209 square feet, to La Madeleine, the restaurant chain said. The Walmart locations will offer both grab-and-go and dine-in options.

The La Madeleine Express outlets (rendering above) will run from 980 to 2,209 square feet and offer grab-and-go and dine-in food options, including items specifically for Walmart.

La Madeleine Express also will offer a scaled-down menu, including favorites like chicken caesar salad and tomato basil soup plus pizza and other new items created specifically for Walmart locations. In addition, La Madeleine said each Express restaurant will include a small retail area where Walmart customers can buy some menu items and new offerings such as soups, jams and sauces.

Related:Walmart eyes other options as McDonald’s, Subway pull out

“We’re very excited about Walmart’s curated foodservice experience for customers,” La Madeleine CEO Lionel Ladouceur said in a statement. “We look forward to making it even more convenient for the DFW [Dallas-Fort Worth] community to enjoy the La Madeleine experience, while also introducing our French comfort food to Walmart shoppers that are looking for more diverse dining choices.”

Founded in Dallas in 1983 and owned by Rennes, France-based Groupe Le Duff, La Madeleine French Bakery & Café operates more than 86 corporate-owned and franchise restaurants in nine states, including 24 in Dallas-Fort Worth and 52 in Texas overall. The French bakery-themed restaurants serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, including soups, salads, sandwiches, entrées, pastas and handmade French patisserie.

Last week, Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart said it was bringing in new foodservice operators such as Domino’s Pizza and Taco Bell with the expected closing of hundreds of McDonald’s and Subway restaurants inside its stores. A Walmart spokeswoman said the retailer is “definitely looking to bring in new and exciting brands.” Other reported options include Ghost Kitchen Brands multi-concept offerings and smoothie vending machines.