FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                      

LA MADELEINE, INC. NAMES NEW PRESIDENT

Former Chief Administrative Officer/Chief Financial Officer

To Lead Dallas-Based Restaurant Chain

DALLAS – January 18, 2005 – La Madeleine Bakery, Café & Bistro announced Monday that Greg Buchanan has been appointed president of the company that operates 64 French country café-bistro locations in nine markets throughout the country.

“We are very pleased to have such talent heading our company,” Chairman Jean-Roch Vachon says. “Greg has proven himself to be a dynamic leader within our company and has an impressive track record within the restaurant industry as well.  I am confident that he will further enhance and expand this exceptional brand to its fullest growth potential.” 

Buchanan most recently served as chief administrative officer/chief financial officer for la Madeleine. Before joining the company in August, 2002, he served as president and owner of SWC Property Corporation, a real estate consulting and development business where he played a key role in leading the expansion of Darden’s Smokey Bones BBQ and Sports Bar concept.  Prior to that, Buchanan served as senior vice president of development with Darden Restaurants, Inc. where he was primarily responsible for the expansion of the Bahama Breeze concept.  Buchanan was also with Carlson Restaurants Worldwide (CRW) for eleven years where he held various senior management positions including chief financial officer and senior vice president of business development.  Buchanan was involved in the selection of over 300 restaurant locations, and played a major role in the growth of CRW from 132 locations in 1988 to over 500 units in 1999.  Buchanan received his bachelor of business administration in finance from Texas A&M University in 1979.

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About la Madeleine

La Madeleine Bakery, Cafe & Bistro, currently operates 64 units in nine markets, opening its most recent location in The Woodlands, Texas in late 2004. The company, which is in a growth mode has plans to open between five and 10 new locations in the next 18 months. La Madeleine features authentic French country cuisine adapted to American tastes and is known as a gathering place where guests are encouraged to linger. The new prototype retains the same French country ambiance and also features a new separate coffee and wine area with expanded seating. La Madeleine has twice been named one of the Top 10 bakeries in the U.S. by Bon Appetit Magazine and one of the top 50 Regional Powerhouse chains by Nation’s Restaurant News. The company was founded in Dallas 21 years ago as a bakery and evolved into a neighborhood café and bistro. For more company information, visit www.lamadeleine.com.

Contact:  Debra Tippett, chief marketing officer, 214.696.6962 x7368