Mimi's Cafe

What Mimi's Cafe does

Mimi's Cafe is a privately held US neighborhood bistro chain founded in 1978 by Arthur Simms and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company operates full-service restaurants serving American-French comfort food with an all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu, plus a daily bakery program (muffins, croissants, brioche). Per firmographics the chain operates 145 locations across 24 states, though the company's own website and recent press materials cite a smaller footprint of 45 locations in 12 states — a discrepancy indicating the brand is mid-consolidation under its parent. The chain is wholly owned by Le Duff America, Inc., the North American subsidiary of French bakery-café operator Groupe Le Duff (Rennes, France), and operates as part of that group's restaurant portfolio alongside the now-absorbing sister brand Lemonade.

The company's product surface is a single core dining experience augmented by discrete service modules: dine-in restaurants, online ordering via mimistogo.com, dedicated catering via mimiscatering.com, private events, gift cards (traditional and e-gift), a kids menu, an E-Club email subscription, and a fundraising program for schools and organizations. Pricing is per-transaction, with a $10.99 weekday lunch tier (Mon–Fri 11a–4p), entrées in the $13–$19 range, and seasonal limited-time offers co-developed with suppliers including Samuel Adams, Korbel, and Seven Daughters. Distribution is exclusively US-based (Arizona, California, Florida, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah), with reservations via OpenTable.

The business model is high-volume consumer transactions with no B2B anchor customers, no disclosed enterprise contracts, and no publicly disclosed financials. Revenue streams are dine-in checks, online takeout, catering, gift card breakage and sales, and private events. Marketing is conducted through organic social (Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest), email/E-Club, PR/press releases, and a community fundraising platform. Leadership is led at the marketing function by Senior Director of Marketing Tiffany McClain; the broader executive team is not disclosed. Per firmographics the organization has 10,000+ employees, consistent with a multi-state full-service restaurant operator.

Name

Mimi's Cafe

Legal name

Mimi's Cafe Corporate

Website

https://mimiscafe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Casual Dining Restaurants (THAFACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ), Family-Style Restaurants (THAFACAC)

Keywords

• Casual dining restaurants
• French-inspired bistro
• All-day breakfast
• Bakery cafe chain
• Family restaurant dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Revenue from full-service restaurant dining including breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus featuring American-French comfort food, bistro classics, and freshly baked goods. Average check size varies by meal period and menu selection.
2. Online Takeout Ordering: Direct online ordering platform for takeout orders, enabling customers to order ahead for pickup.
3. Catering Services: Dedicated catering operations for events, corporate gatherings, and celebrations with specialized catering menus and packages.
4. Gift Cards: Sale of traditional and e-gift cards, both for personal use and as corporate gift solutions. Gift cards have no expiration date.
5. Private Events: Revenue from hosting private events including birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and office parties with custom event planning services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Mimi's Cafe operates a chain of casual-dining restaurants serving French-inspired American bistro fare, with signature emphasis on freshly baked muffins and pastries, all-day breakfast, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, and dinner entrées. Beyond in-restaurant dining, it sells its food via online ordering for takeout, provides catering, and offers gift cards, targeting families and individuals seeking a sit-down dining experience.

Product overview

Mimi's Cafe is a neighborhood bistro restaurant chain offering a single unified dining experience focused on fresh, hand-prepared American-French comfort food. The core offering is full-service restaurant dining featuring breakfast (all day), lunch, and dinner menus with signature items like omelets, sandwiches, burgers, entrées, and daily-baked bakery items. The company operates complementary service modules including Mimi's Delivers (online ordering), Mimi's Catering, gift cards, a dedicated kids menu, private event hosting, and a fundraising program. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Mimi's Cafe is owned by Le Duff America, Inc. and operates 45 locations across 12 U.S. states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mimi's Bistro Bakery: Full-service restaurant offering breakfast all day, lunch, dinner, bakery items, and private events.
• Mimi's Delivers

Products and services

• In-Restaurant Dining Full-service dine-in experience at Mimi's Cafe locations, offering a French-inspired American menu with all-day breakfast, freshly baked muffins, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, and dinner entrées, served to individuals, couples, and families.
• Online Ordering for Takeout Digital ordering service that allows customers to place takeout orders from Mimi's Cafe menus for pickup, accessed via the Mimi's Cafe online ordering website.
• Catering Services Group catering offering from Mimi's Cafe, providing French-inspired American menu items for events, office meals, and group gatherings, ordered through a dedicated catering website.
• Gift Cards Gift card program selling Mimi's Cafe-branded gift cards redeemable at participating restaurant locations for dine-in and takeout purchases.
• Kids Menu Dedicated kids menu offering child-portioned French-inspired American items such as breakfast, sandwiches, and entrée options designed for families dining with children.
• Bakery Offerings In-house bakery program offering fresh-baked muffins, pastries, and sweets sold to dine-in and takeout customers as part of the menu.
• Community Fundraising (Dine and Donate) Community fundraising program that enables schools, nonprofits, and community groups to earn donations tied to dine-in activity at Mimi's Cafe locations.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• LemonademinorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLemonade, a sister fast-casual restaurant chain, is transitioning to ghost kitchen operations and will operate under Mimi's Cafe as a delivery-only virtual kitchen model. The strategic shift brings Lemonade's operations under the Mimi's brand umbrella.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cracker Barrel Old Country Store: Family casual dining chain with home-style comfort food, breakfast all day, and an attached retail store. Competes with Mimi's on family trips, weekend dining, and gift/merchandise revenue.
• Corner Bakery Cafe: Bakery-cafe chain offering breakfast, lunch, and bakery items in a casual cafe format. Closest peer to Mimi's on the daily-baked-fresh bakery differentiation and French-American menu overlap.
• First Watch: Daytime breakfast, brunch, and lunch casual dining chain. Comparable to Mimi's on breakfast/brunch specialization and elevated comfort food positioning.
• Le Peep Café: Breakfast-and-lunch-focused casual dining chain offering egg dishes, pancakes, and American comfort fare. Comparable niche and daypart concentration to Mimi's.
• Bob Evans Restaurants: Family-focused casual dining chain with farm-style American comfort food, all-day breakfast, and a dedicated kids menu. Direct overlap with Mimi's on family and value-conscious dining occasions.
• IHOP: Family-focused casual dining chain with all-day breakfast and a similar American-comfort-food menu. Directly competes with Mimi's in the same dayparts and customer segments (families, weekday diners, celebrations).
• Denny's: 24/7 family casual dining chain famous for all-day breakfast and a broad American menu. Most direct head-to-head competitor to Mimi's on breakfast daypart and family positioning.
• Marie Callender's: Casual dining chain known for pies and American comfort food with a family-dining orientation. Comparable heritage brand, comfort-food menu, and bakery-led positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Panera Bread: Large national bakery-cafe chain with strong digital ordering, loyalty program, and catering. Overlaps with Mimi's on bakery items, breakfast/lunch menu, catering, and family casual dining occasions, though at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Coco's Bakery Restaurant: Smaller bakery-casual-dining chain focused on pies and American comfort food. Comparable to Mimi's on bakery-led menu and family casual dining, with significantly smaller footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mimis_cafe
• Facebookfacebook.com/mimiscafe
• Instagraminstagram.com/mimisbistrobakery
• Pinterestpinterest.com/mimisbistrobakery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mimis-cafe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mimi's Cafe