---
title: "La Madeleine Appoints John Dillon as President"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/3d18ffb6-299f-4ca2-9db5-96c3a11d1f7a
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20250114_la_madeleine_appoints_john_dillon_as_president.html
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
topics: ["People"]
published: 2025-01-14T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T22:32:36.305Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1555396273-367ea4eb4db5?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# La Madeleine Appoints John Dillon as President

**TL;DR:** La Madeleine has appointed John Dillon as its new president, bringing extensive experience in the franchise restaurant industry. Dillon previously held senior leadership roles at Denny's, Yum! Brands, and other companies.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2025-01-14. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20250114_la_madeleine_appoints_john_dillon_as_president.html).*

## Story

DALLAS -- La Madeleine has appointed seasoned restaurant and franchise industry executive John Dillon as its new president.

Dillon most recently served as founder and principal lead at HMS Growth Partners, an advisory firm supporting leaders and companies across diverse industries, including restaurants, hospitality, retail, education and franchising. Prior to HMS, he spent over 16 years at Denny's, where he held a succession of senior leadership roles, including EVP chief marketing officer, EVP chief brand officer and, ultimately, president of the nearly 1,600-unit chain. During his tenure, he and his team successfully revitalized the iconic brand, earning widespread acclaim and business results.

Additionally, Dillon has held senior leadership roles at Yum! Brands, Omnicom Group and the National Basketball Association, honing his expertise in developing strategies and aligning teams to achieve outstanding growth.

"John's extensive experience in the franchise restaurant industry brings exceptional leadership, strategic vision and a talent for driving authentic and aggressive transformation, which are all key qualities to guide la Madeleine into its next phase of expansion," said Groupe LeDuff Worldwide Café Bakery Chief Executive Officer Lionel Ladouceur. "We have big plans, and his proven ability to deliver results, foster innovation and connect with team members at every level, combined with his passion for the industry and our brand, makes him the ideal leader to build on our strong foundation and shape a bright future for la Madeleine."

At la Madeleine, Dillon will be responsible for creating a dynamic strategy to drive sales, increase the number of franchise partners, expand the brand's market presence and further enhance plans around store-level profitability, operational efficiency, restaurant design, guest experience, marketing and menu innovation.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- franchise expansion (topic)
- restaurant industry (topic)
- executive appointment (topic)
- Yum Brands (company)
- Denny's (company)
- John Dillon (person)

---
Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20250114_la_madeleine_appoints_john_dillon_as_president.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/3d18ffb6-299f-4ca2-9db5-96c3a11d1f7a).