la Madeleine, a French café and bakery brand, has announced agreements with three franchise groups for the development of new locations in Florida, Tennessee, and Texas, marking a significant expansion in the Southern US.

The new restaurants are scheduled to open during the next three years.

The first of these agreements is with Pieocentral, which will see la Madeleine expand into the Greater Orlando market.

The opening of the Orlando restaurant is planned for the summer of 2025.

Pieocentral is led by Alvaro Diez and Madeleine Gorrin, who have extensive experience of managing more than 400 establishments in various sectors, including QSR, fast-casual, and fine dining, across multiple locations in the US and Latin America.

In Tennessee, the Bearup Group is set to introduce la Madeleine to the Nashville area, with the franchise's café expected to open in Mt. Juliet in the third quarter of 2025.

Rick Bearup, who leads the group, aims to bring the brand's classic French flavours to the region.

Royal Crown Enterprise will launch a la Madeleine café in Galveston, Texas. Franchisee Mohamed Eldawy expressed his enthusiasm in bringing the brand's offerings to the local community, with an anticipated opening in the summer of 2025.

Since its inception in Dallas in 1983, The company has grown to more than 90 locations across the US and internationally.

la Madeleine cafés serve French cuisine that is crafted from simple, fresh ingredients.

Its menu consist of all-day breakfast, soups, salads, sandwiches, pastas and entrees, along with traditional French bakery items featuring fresh bread and patisserie.

la Madeleine chief operating officer Christine Johnson said: “As we expand across the country, we want to partner with franchise groups that demonstrate the passion, expertise and commitment needed to introduce our high-quality and classic French fare to new cities nationwide.

“We know that Alvaro, Madeleine, Rick and Mohamed are highly dedicated to our concept and will represent la Madeleine well to new guests in Orlando, Nashville and Galveston.”

Owned by France-based Groupe Le Duff and founded by Louis Le Duff in 1976, the company operates more than 90 corporate and franchise locations in nine US states.