Le Duff America, Inc. completed the acquisition of Mimi's Cafe for $50 million on Friday, February 15 from Bob Evans Farms Inc. and named former la Madeleine Country French Cafe President and COO Phil Costner as the new President of Mimi's Cafe. Mimi's joins Le Duff America's growing portfolio of brands, which includes la Madeleine, Bruegger's Bagels, Brioche Doree, Timothy's Coffee and Michel's Baguette in the U.S. and Canada. The company announced plans to return "joie de vivre" to the Mimi's brand and to make a significant investment in the facilities, people and products in order to revitalize the brand.
"Mimi's is a perfect fit in the Le Duff America portfolio given the French heritage of the brand and shared tradition of quality, authenticity, value and hospitality. The addition of a casual dining brand complements our portfolio and fits into the company's long-term strategic view," said Claude Bergeron, Chairman and Co-CEO of Le Duff America. "Our goal is to move forward with brand revitalization to set the company up for future growth by attracting new guests and becoming more relevant to their evolving needs."
"Mimi's Cafe is a fantastic brand with 35 years of legacy and a deep heritage," said Phil Costner, President of Mimi's Cafe. "We're not going to change what guests love most about Mimi's – we are going to invest in the restaurants, food and people in order to upgrade and strengthen the brand."
Highlights
- Le Duff America to keep Mimi's operational headquarters in Irvine, Calif.
- Phil Costner, formerly President and COO of la Madeleine, is named President of Mimi's Cafe.
- Le Duff America intends to move forward with the evolution of the bakery/cafe concept that debuted at Mimi's Valencia, Calif. location in October 2012.
- Mimi's will invest in updates to existing locations to reenergize and update the restaurants with a consistent look and feel befitting to the French-inspired cafe.
- Mimi's will continue to reinvigorate, improve and enrich the new expanded menu.
- Le Duff America will focus on Mimi's French heritage and use founder Arthur J. Simms' original vision of the simple, yet charming meals he enjoyed in Paris as an airman during World War II as the basis for the renovation effort.
For more information, please visit MimisCafe.com, or find Mimi's at Facebook.com/MimisCafe and at Twitter.com/mimis_cafe.
ABOUT MIMI'S CAFE
Founded by Arthur Simms, who was stationed in France during World War II, Mimi's Cafe is a neighborhood bistro inspired by the wonderful flavors, wines and unmistakable ambience of Paris, and named after a captivating mademoiselle he met named Mimi. In 1978, he opened the first Mimi's Cafe inspired by his memories of Mimi and passion for good food, wine and camaraderie that he remembered so fondly. Mimi's Cafe is owned by Le Duff America, Inc. and has 145 locations in 24 states. More info at www.MimisCafe.com.
ABOUT LE DUFF AMERICA, INC.
Le Duff America, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is the North American Subsidiary of Groupe Le Duff, a global bakery and restaurant company headquartered in Rennes, France. Groupe Le Duff was founded by Louis Le Duff in 1976 on a concept of quality products based on health research, flavor, French tradition and nutrition. For more information, please visit www.groupeleduff.com/en.
