Much like France, the Texas-born cafe and bakery chain La Madeleine has experienced periods of austerity during economic hardship. Who among us can remember the revolt that ensued during the great “free bread pullback” of 2008? And yet, La Madeleine is no stranger to stimulus. On Wednesday, throngs of fast-casual Franco-food-philes were at last given their free bread and jam back.
The complimentary bread and jam program was re-launched for all of La Madeleine’s 80-something locations on Jan. 21. According to a press release, the free service includes three different kinds of breads paired with the restaurant’s house-made strawberry and blackberry jams. Guests can get their free bread jam in the cafe or add it to takeout and delivery orders.
We reached out to La Madeleine’s representatives for clarification, but it looks as if the chain stopped serving free bread and jam around the time of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It had initially been available if you asked a staff member behind the counter…