La Madeleine, a French-founded neighborhood cafe and bakery, has named John Dillon as president. Dillon most recently served as founder and principal lead at HMS Growth Partners, an advisory firm supporting the restaurant, hospitality, retail, education and franchising industries. Prior to HMS, he spent over 16 years at Denny’s, where he held a succession of senior leadership roles, including EVP chief marketing officer, EVP chief brand officer and president of the nearly 1,600-unit chain.
Additionally, Dillon has held senior leadership roles at Yum Brands, Omnicom Group and the National Basketball Association.
“John’s extensive experience in the franchise restaurant industry brings exceptional leadership, strategic vision and a talent for driving authentic and aggressive transformation, which are all key qualities to guide la Madeleine into its next phase of expansion,” said Lionel Ladouceur, CEO of Groupe LeDuff Worldwide Cafe Bakery, La Madeleine’s parent company. “We have big plans, and his proven ability to deliver results, foster innovation and connect with team members at every level, combined with his passion for the industry and our brand, makes him the ideal leader to build on our strong foundation and shape a bright future for la Madeleine,” Ladouceur said in a company press release.
“In a time when so many brands are trying to push for what makes them different from the others, la Madeleine inherently has an authentically powerful differentiation with its unique ‘joie de vivre’ French cafe experience and reputation for craveable, quality French-inspired menu items,” Dillon said in the release. “It’s time to make some more noise, share our story more boldly and deliver exceptional results for our guests and growing family of franchise partners as we introduce the la Madeleine experience to even more neighborhoods across America and beyond.”
La Madeleine operates nearly 100 corporate and franchise locations in multiple U.S. states and one international cafe in Bengaluru, India. Learn more about la Madeleine and franchise opportunities at lamadeleine.com.
