The French art of living also known as L’art de vivre is the knowledge of how to enjoy life and take time to appreciate beauty and good taste in things. Living by and promoting this philosophy, Bernd Steiner with La Maison du Pain has ruled millions of taste buds since 2011.
La Maison du Pain is the result of a great love affair between Bernd Steiner and French cuisine. With their authentic French recipes and an ambience that transports you directly to France, La Maison du Pain is treating people with an experience of a lifetime. Bernd Steiner as the frontrunner believes in consistent and honest hard work and is always in pursuit of creative experimentation while maintaining authenticity.
In an Exclusive Interview, Exeleon Magazine talks with the Franchisor of La Maison du Pain, Bernd Steiner to know more about the café and his journey.
What according to you makes one an influential leader?
If you start business at young age, good education and establishing a network seems to be the right things to have. But later you will find out that your professional way will be embossed by experiences from all your past work over the years. Today, I have the conviction that success occurs if gut feeling meets seniority.
Being the Franchisor of La Maison du Pain what role do you play in the day-to-day proceedings of the cafe?
First of all – it is a people business even though there is a complex system working behind the operation, guests seeking to have a place to be.
What I developed from the very beginning was a kind of paranoia in a positive and creative way. What does it mean? We try to be always one step ahead of our competitors and look forward to possible expectations and desires of our guest.
For example. La Maison du Pain is always in the pursuit of introducing new and delicious products without letting the quality of their old products getting hampered. Furthermore, Packaging is key. We celebrate to pack our products in special Private labeled boxes.
Our Franchisee are the proxy of the brand of La Maison du Pain. They work hard efficiently, and it is absolutely necessary that all crew members are aware and understand the philosophy of our brand.
What was the idea that led to the formation of La Maison du Pain? What is the meaning of its name?
La Maison du Pain established in 2011 as an authentic French bakery, Patisserie and Bistro. The name is program – La Maison du Pain means ‘House of bread’. We are dedicated to dishes with bread as a component. Tartines, Flammkuchen, Quiches and more. Also, the bakery and our patisserie offer delicious products from all corners of France.
What makes the café stand out from the crowd? What are some of its specialty?
La Maison du Pain provides the feeling of being in France. We do not believe in trends from a sustainable term of view. We are dedicated to authenticity. If you step into our Boutiques, you hear French Chanson, smell fresh bread coming out of the oven in front of the visitors. Guests have a feeling of being on a trip with authentic France. All products come from a recipe of La Maison du Pain which are French based.
Our method was not to chasing all trends to attract guests. Our Guest do also not count calories. We foster the French way of live – which we called L`art de vivre – the art of live-in an easy way.
Here, the atmosphere is warm and charming – with the smell of fresh bakery products and French Chansons playing in the background. And while you sense this you can eat original French macarons or eclairs with a bowl of Café au lait – or a Tarte flambé, a tartine with a glass of French wine or unique Champagne. Or if you prefer breakfast – you can have all day long a choice of wonderful breakfasts with the butteriest French croissant you can ever eat.
What has the journey been like for Bernd Steiner over the years?
It not a feeling for being successful, it is more subtle. A combination of appreciation and a sense of accomplishment. I never forget my time as a young man starting with almost nothing. Exception was high and the unwavering will to do something great. My mindset has never changed.
I wish for La Maison du Pain to be a unique and complementary concept belonging in all bigger cities Europe. To answer the question – the journey just has begun.
Why should anyone partner with your café as a franchisee? What are the key benefits?
When we start franchise in the Bistro and Bakery Business, we were quite surprised about the competitor. To run a restaurant or open a Bakery is not complicate at the first sight and there are low entrance barriers to do so. As a result, a lot of people dream to be a host in this sector.
However, that’s a good idea if you operate as a hobby. If you aim for earnings and plan surpluses you must be prepared in different way. We have a completely different approach with many systems which the guest never would assume. Guests have very high expectations, and our job is to make them satisfied. So, we do train our franchisee onboard and ongoing in their stores. It is often not only a matter of training but having the right mindset to become a successful host.
What was the impact of COVID-19 professionally and personally?
Success does not always bring out the best in people, but its transformational power has left me agreeably unaltered.
But the record shows, there are often unexpected setbacks in most the most inconvenient time. If your business or the economic environment are fragile, you have to become a real troubleshooter.
From a personal point of view – I`m always prepared for inconvenient incidence, at any time.
What has been the biggest roadblock during your journey?
Let me answer in analogy. If you reach the peak of the mountain top, make sure that you descend the peak as soon as possible. If you stay too long – either you freeze to dead or go crazy.
Moving forward, what does the future look like for La Maison du Pain?
As a Franchisor we play the role of Coaching and Train our Franchisee. It sounds easy but in fact, it´s a quite complex approach to transform a founder and new franchise partner into a high-level performing outlet.
Finally, what do you think is the most important trait for a leader and why?
Well – if you face tough situation (and you will) – step back for a moment, be calm, absolutely measured, and deeply thoughtful. Postpone you answers, feedback, or decision to the next day – never act if you are immediately compromised.
