Costner was previously president and chief operating officer of La Madeleine.
Le Duff America Inc. has named Phil Costner president of its newly acquired Mimi’s Café brand, the company said Tuesday.
Costner most recently was president and chief operating officer of La Madeleine, another division of Dallas-based Le Duff America.
The company completed its $50 million acquisition of the 145-unit Mimi’s Café casual-dining chain in February from Bob Evans Farms Inc.
Le Duff America, a subsidiary of Riennes, France-based Groupe Le Duff, also owns the Brioche Dorée, Bruegger's Bagels, Michel’s Baguette and Timothy's Coffee brands in the United States and Canada.
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Le Duff said it will keep Mimi’s Café’s operational headquarters in Irvine, Calif.
“Mimi's Café is a fantastic brand with 35 years of legacy and a deep heritage,” said Costner in statement. “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.”
Claude Bergeron, chairman and co-chief executive of Le Duff America, added, “The addition of a casual-dining brand complements our portfolio and fits into the company's long-term strategic view.”
The company also said it intends to move forward with the evolution of the bakery-café concept that debuted at Mimi's Valencia, Calif., location in October 2012. Le Duff also said it would invest in updates to existing locations with a consistent look and feel for the French-inspired café.
Mimi’s has locations in 24 states.
Groupe LeDuff, the parent to Le Duff America, has annual sales of more than $1.53 billion and more than 1,100 restaurants and bakeries.
Contact Ron Ruggless at ronald.ruggless@penton.com.
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