French pastry spot Le Macaron now has two Alpharetta locations. But the new one is not a full-service cafe.
Unlike the shop at North Point Mall, the Avalon location only occupies 90 square feet — that’s because it is a first-of-its-kind outdoor mobile kiosk. The cozy spot will not only offer the cafe’s namesake macarons — not to be confused with macaroons — but eclairs, tarts, mini-tarts, napoleons, gourmet chocolates, meringues, cakes and specialty beverages including a sparkling French lemonade called Lorina.
“Following the success of our full-service café in North Point Mall, we are excited to launch the very first outdoor kiosk design for the whole brand nationwide,” Lisa Amundsen, Le Macaron Alpharetta owner, said in a statement. “We worked with Le Macaron’s corporate designers and builders to make this our very own unique space at Avalon and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. We look forward to sharing the new kiosk design with our fellow franchisees nationwide.”
Amundsen co-owns the two Le Macaron Alpharetta locations with her husband, Dave Amundsen. The pair decided that franchising the pastry shop, which came after Dave Amundsen’s corporate downsizing, would be a good fit since there was little competition in the local market. It merged Lisa Amundsen’s hospitality experience with her husband’s finance and accounting work, which he kept up for 26 years. Additionally, owning the shops helped the spouses fulfill a life-long dream of self-employment.
Mother-daughter duo Rosalie Guillem and Audrey Guillem-Saba opened Le Macaron in 2009 and started franchising three years later.
The macrons are handcrafted by Chef Didier Saba, who was born, raised, and trained in France. The treats are gluten-free and contain no artificial preservatives or flavors. They’re also ideal for health-conscious folks who are working on consuming fewer sweets, as the macrons are about 80 calories each. Popular flavors of the light, airy bite-sized cookie include Madagascar black vanilla, Columbian coffee, Belgian chocolate, lemon cream, Sicilian pistachio and red velvet.
Le Macaron Avalon, at 2200 Avalon Boulevard, Alpharetta, is behind The Plaza and in front of Regal Cinemas. Contactless payment and delivery options are available and the staff practices safety measures including glove and mask-wearing, frequently sanitizing surfaces and ample hand washing.
The outdoor mobile kiosk is open now.
