Strong alliance between French-inspired café and CB&T brews a flavorful success story
Chrsitine Perez wants you to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or cappuccino the way Europeans do. It’s part of the reason she enjoys owning and operating Café Madeleine, a French-inspired casual eatery with two locations—in South Park and North Park— in the heart of San Diego.
“When I traveled to France, I really got a sense of the lifestyle of cafes,” she says. “You’re not just there to eat. You’re there to chat and enjoy a cup of coffee while experiencing the time to simply sit and be, instead of running around with a white paper coffee cup and rushing off to your next appointment.”
Savoring the atmosphere
Perez notes that when she and her staff began offering coffee at her original South Park location in a beautiful white porcelain mug, “No one really wanted their coffee in that kind of cup. Almost everyone asked for their coffee in a cup that they could grab and go. But the baristas persisted in offering customers the opportunity to sit down and truly enjoy their coffee by drinking it from a mug.” Eventually, the idea caught on. Now, Perez says, 90% of their customers at both locations order their beverages in a mug.
The beginning
The notion of unhurried, casual dining is foundational to Café Madeleine, which first opened at the beginning of 2010. Perez was a teacher and reading specialist with the San Diego Unified School District for nine years, but was ready to find another way to give back to the community. She loved the idea of running a café based on her travels to southern France, and found a place to rent in South Park that previously had been occupied by a candle store.
“Teaching gave me management experience and people skills,” she says. “With children, you have to be tender and cheerful. You have to find out what they’re good at and how you can help them explore that.”
Those qualities, she says, translate well to managing a business and, notably, can contribute to its success. “You have to gain the trust of employees and they have to buy into your vision,” Perez says.
Recognition, expansion
The formula is working. With revenue of more than $1 million annually, 15% growth year over year since 2021, and a reputation as an important part of the San Diego community, Café Madeleine was named Small Business of the Year in the 39th State Senate District in 2023.
A third location of Café Madeleine in Barrio Logan is set to open in early spring, and a grab-and-go-style deli serving sandwiches, salads and baked goods will open near Golden Hill later this year.
Perez is grateful for the help California Bank & Trust has provided during the construction phase of the Barrio Logan location. “CB&T has assisted with organizing my financial assets to free up cash to complete this location. The banking personnel are unlike any others I’ve dealt with in the past,” she says, adding that she especially appreciates that CB&T is “a safe place to ask questions. It’s run like a neighborhood bank and that means a lot to me.”
Perez’s banker Jad El Abdallah, a vice president and banking center manager for CB&T, has been working with her for more than two years and knows that it’s a different experience for Perez to be elated with a bank’s customer service. Before her association with CB&T, “Christine hadn’t had the kind of relationship where she can simply pick up the phone and call her banker to ask a question or get advice,” El Abdallah says. “Christine is one of the nicest, kindest clients anyone can ask for.”
Each Café Madeleine location is cozy and intimate, with seating for about 45 customers at the original South Park location, about 60 at the North Park location, and about 50 at the Barrio Logan location. The walls are adorned with art from Perez’s travels, adding to the European ambience of each café. “Each piece of art I display is meaningful to me and has a story,” she says proudly.
The importance of smiles
Although the restaurant business comes with many challenges, Perez enjoys putting a smile on people’s faces and making a difference in the community.
“Everyone on my team feels like they have been called to do something to help others,” she says. “This can be as simple as a friendly gesture or pleasant conversation. Sometimes, people don’t have a lot of contact with other people. The interactions they have at the café can have a positive impact.”
Through her experience running a restaurant, Perez says she has learned not to be too hard on herself and to let her staff know that it’s OK to make mistakes and fail. “It’s a learning experience, and that can change your perspective.”
At the same time, Perez says she’s found the recipe for success. “If you act out of love, respect people, are kind and have a genuine interest in and invest in other people, they’ll invest in you, too.”