French-owned cafe concept la Madeleine is coming to Nashville as part of a broader franchise expansion, which will bring the cafe concept to Tennessee, Florida and Texas.
The Bearup Group, led by Rick Bearup, will be focusing on bringing the Tennessee franchise to life. While a property has yet to be selected, the team said they are searching for a location in the Mt. Juliet area.
Bearup said he has been searching for a franchise opportunity for the past several years after retiring from a three-decade career in the airline industry as a flight attendant. He also has a background in the restaurant business from the 1990s.
“I’ve always enjoyed serving people, and I came across la Madeleine and just really loved the concept, and that is why I moved forward,” Bearup said.
The brand was first founded in 1983, and it aims to serve French cuisine with fresh, healthy ingredients. The cafe menu includes breakfast items, soups, salads, sandwiches, pastas, entrees and bakery items. Currently, the chain has more than 90 locations across nine states, with plans to expand to every state in the near future.
“They’re bringing in our unique approachable French cuisine,” said Mark Ramage, the senior director of franchise development at la Madeleine. “It’s a good, healthy approach — what we call fresh fast-casual — [and they’re bringing it to] Mt. Juliet. They have a great area [with] a lot of explosive growth taking place and there’s no brand like this in the Nashville area.”
While the timeline for opening is not set at this time, they are aiming for an opening in the third or fourth quarter of 2025.
“We’re looking forward to serving our community and loving on them,” the Bearup team said. “We just hope we provide a place for friends and family to come to enjoy our food and a place for them to gather and to network with the community.”
