Start a la Madeleine Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: #413 Ranked #320 last year

Initial investment: $448K - $2.3M

Units as of 2025: 87 0.0% over 3 years

Founded in 1983, la Madeleine delivers a French bakery and cafe experience. It began franchising in 2011 and offers a menu of all-day breakfast, coffees, soups, salads, sandwiches, pastas, and entrees, along with a traditional French bakery display featuring fresh bread and French-inspired pastries. La Madeleine operates nearly 100 corporate and franchise locations in multiple U.S. and one international cafe in India.

Why You May Want to Start a la Madeleine Bakery & Cafe Franchise

The ideal candidate for a la Madeleine Bakery & Cafe franchisee has the resources to develop and operate at least one location with an experienced operator. If you desire to secure a multi-unit agreement, at least one group member must have extensive multi-unit restaurant experience. Overall, franchisees should have a strong background in multi-unit restaurant operations and a deep understanding of the local retail real estate market. If you’re passionate about bringing delicious food and pastries to a warm, bistro-like setting, opening a la Madeleine Bakery & Cafe franchise could be the perfect opportunity for you.

Franchisees will use la Madeleine Bakery & Cafe's tasty and proprietary recipes. The commitment to fresh meals, organic produce, healthy recipes, and a calm environment may make a la Madeleine Bakery & Cafe franchise a community favorite. La Madeleine Bakery & Cafe is good for the body, environment, and soul. With your franchise, you will support local farmers and provide non-genetically modified food to hungry locals.

What Might Make a La Madeleine Bakery & Cafe Franchise a Good Choice?

To be part of the la Madeleine Bakery & Cafe team, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment made up of the franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for the existence of ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees.

La Madeleine Bakery & Cafe has worked to carve out a niche in the market with their dedication to providing quality food. Their tasty menu and fun atmosphere may have given them loyal and regular clientele.

How To Open a la Madeleine Bakery & Cafe Franchise

Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, it is crucial that you perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you. As part of your due diligence, you may want to speak to existing franchisees and ask the la Madeleine Bakery & Cafe franchising team questions.

To start a la Madeleine Bakery & Cafe franchise, you need to be sure to meet the company's set net worth and liquid capital requirements before filling out a pre-qualification application form. If approved, you'll then have an in-person interview and meeting to assess if you are a good fit for the la Madeleine Bakery & Cafe brand.

As you progress through the process of opening your own la Madeleine Bakery & Cafe franchise, you will attend a discovery day to meet the team, assess the business, and complete the final qualifications. If you pass, you will receive franchise approval and attend an approval meeting, which is where you'll sign the franchise agreement. Once you've signed on board, construction, marketing, and training begin so you can move forward with opening your new la Madeleine Bakery & Cafe.

Company Overview

About la Madeleine

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Miscellaneous Full-Service Restaurants, Desserts
Founded	1983
Parent Company	Le Duff America
Leadership	John Dillon, CEO
Corporate Address	12201 Merit Dr., #900 Dallas, TX 75251
Social	Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2011 (14 years)
# of employees at HQ	46
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises worldwide. This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming
# of Units	87 (as of 2025)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a la Madeleine franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$20,000 - $40,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$448,250 - $2,254,160
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$1,500,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$500,000
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	5%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	to 3%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	252 hours
Classroom Training	48 hours
Ongoing Support	Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes