On this episode of Emerging Brands, Lionel Ladouceur, CEO of LE DUFF Americas, the parent company of la Madeleine, talks about his early beginning as a fast food executive with Mcdonalds in Canada and then moving on to Burger King. Ladouceur met Louis Le Duff during his time in manufacturing and eventually joined the Le Duff team as chief executive officer. In 1983 the original founder of la Madeleine moved from France to Dallas, not able to find french pastries in a place known for barbeque, la Madeleine bakery and cafe opened. Ladouceur talks about it’s cult-like following, how Group Le Duff purchased the brand in 2001, and three decades of building a brand. Ladouceur says the brand has a strong focus on digital marketing but he knew they needed to be able to have store level marketing to make sure they are reaching all of their local customers. At la Madeleine, Ladouceur says, they are constantly reviewing menu innovation while keeping the french heritage and their culinary expertise combined with what the guest wants. Service has always been strong for la Madeleine, Ladouceur says, their team internally believes in making a difference in their guests' lives when they come to visit. He talks about updating their facilities to a more modern decor representing what France is today. During Covid, Ladouceur said, la Madeleine had a digital program but increased visibility curbside pick, third party delivery and took a multi-channel approach to increasing the brand’s visibility to customers. He shares how they added a drive-through in their core market in Dallas as well as added grab and go. Listen to this episode to learn more about la Madeleine’s plan on growing the business and their megastore partnership with Walmart.