This company hopes its crème brulee, croissants, and quiche prove as memorable as Proust's famous teacake. La Madeleine operates 60 la Madeleine Bakery, Café & Bistro casual dining locations mostly in Texas, Georgia, and Louisiana, offering French country cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The restaurants, which welcome patrons with such interior appointments as a stone hearth and handcrafted wood tables, use a cafeteria-style serving line and limited table service. Each location also sells a variety of fresh baked goods. French native Patrick Leon Esquerré started the business in 1983. La Madeleine is owned by a group of investors including restaurant operator Groupe Le Duff.