la Madeleine — Restaurant in El Paso

Visiting from Denver. We passed by and decided to treat ourselves to some French patisseries and coffee. The expectation was high. The restaurant is in an upscale area surrendered by other upscale business. The inside of the place is clean and elegant. But the downside was the customer service. None smiling, they didn’t have “the joie de vivre”. The irony is that there are two signed posted at the door entrance that says “Bonjour” Was that the only greeting we were supposed to receive as we entered the place? We stopped by the sing that say “line starts here” and the hostess, Monserrat, just yelled “the menus are over there”. No welcome, no good afternoon, no nothing.

As first time guests we awaited for instructions until I decided to stop by the patisseries display and told the hostess that we wanted some food and drinks and to dine in. She asked “are you ready?” So moved on to order our food. She gave us some cups, told me the total of the order and got the payment. And gave us a wooden piece that indicated the letter G for our order. Nothing else was said.

So we figured it’s time to take a seat, let’s wait and we are seated. She brought my cappuccino and left. So I came back to her post and asked where to get the other drinks and then she pointed to the back of the store. We went then to the back and waited for 15 mins for the decaf coffee to be brought out. Food is good, as expected in any other French cafeteria. L'hôtesse grossière a gâché le moment.

One thing to notice is that, when you ordered you’re asked for a tip. How you’re gonna put a tip when you don’t know how the service is going to be? No reason for asking for a tip when the rude personnel just do the bare minimum and no hospitality was provided at all. They get paid to do the bare minimum. And that’s all they do.

A total disappointment....

The location was not completely ready in design, with no logo or hours of operation on the door and all the certificate frames empty, and a request for an alcohol license still plastered to the glass since May. However, many of the familiar faces from the Fountains at Farrah location were present during the pre-opening event, and many things ran smoothly and the staff was helpful and attentive, asking about our experience and being helpful to refill or replace things, even though we could indeed help ourselves to utensils, refills, etc. The staff was well practiced to offer new patrons an opportunity to enjoy La Madeleine, without an expectation that customers would know what to order, or where things went. This location is slightly larger (counter area and ordering space) than the Fountains location, but the walk-in area, patio and side seating area are just a little smaller. The pre-opening event was a chance for free meals, with an option for a donation to a food based charity, and offered roughly 6 different menus to ensure the staff was trained and on their toes throughout the night. The leadership crew made the effort to publicly acknowledge the staff's effort and crucial support to make the pre-opening a successful event. The food quality is excellent and this coupled with the helpfulness of the staff made the evening pleasant and smooth. If you are not already acquainted with the Bonne Rewards program, I would suggest joining and taking advantage of the freebies and easy "quick pay" option available. La Madeleine officially opens October...

I have been a loyal customer at La Madeleine for many years. It actually is upsetting that I have to give a negative review. My go to, to go order is the large potato soup. I ordered this today. When my order was ready, instead of being given to me, it was set on the counter in an unmarked area. An employee who was on break was courteous enough to tell me that my order was sitting at the other end of the counter. When I picked up the bag it felt light and what I pulled out was a tiny container of soup. Now since this is my usual order, I have an idea what it should look/feel like. I brought this to the attention of the staff. I showed them what I had ordered and paid 7$ for and her response was "well those are the containers we have right now". I was given a literal cup of soup, but charged for the large. No one in-store cared. If you're thinking of eating here, my advice is go to the Whole Foods in the same shopping center and buy food from there. It's still over priced but better than here. They also have better wine and beer selection. Don't waste your time and money at this La Madeleine. Special shout out to Daniela who took my order then chose to put in on a counter on the other side of the restaurant instead of handing it to me when I was standing 2 feet away from her. Just go to...