A new restaurant is coming to the Luhrs Tower at 1st Avenue and Jefferson. laMadeleine French Bakery and Cafe will open its 3rd Valley location on August 15th, according to several restaurant and construction workers I spoke with.
The Dallas, Texas-based chain has been in business since 1983 and has 86 locations throughout the U.S, including 54 in its home state.
The restaurant opening is a positive signal for the historic Luhrs City Center, which has struggled to attract and maintain tennants ever since the construction of the Metro Light Rail. The only other active storefront is Serafina Coffee Roasters; a Subway restaurant in the complex closed earlier this year as the result to a corporate revitalization effort.
The restaurant will bring additional walkability back to the what has been for years a fairly desolate stretch of sidewalk.