Maman, a French-style café, opened its Foggy Bottom location in a renovated storefront at Western Market last week.
The cafe moved into the Western Market stall previously occupied by PAUL and serves salads, soups, sandwiches and pastries with a Southern French flare. Maman, which translates to “mother” in French, will accept GWorld payment and is one of six locations in the District, joining storefronts in Penn Quarter, Georgetown and Union Market.
Nadia Bartholomew, a general manager at Maman, said the café decided to accept GWorld cards after speaking with Western Market managers and other business owners who said offering this payment method would boost student customers.
“The more methods of payment you give to people the more likely they are to come,” Bartholomew said.
Bartholomew said the café hosted its grand opening on Jan. 16, with 25 patrons huddling outside in the cold before its 7:30 a.m. opening. She said the café promised the first 100 customers a free cookie at the grand opening, and Maman in Foggy Bottom saw a total of about 300 orders coming in on the first day — mostly business professionals.
“We’re still in the discovery phase,” Bartholomew said. “A lot of people do not know we are here.”
Bartholomew said she hopes Maman will draw more student interest once they finish setting up the GWorld system in the next two weeks. Bartholomew, who has worked as a general manager since 2023, said Maman chose to set up in Foggy Bottom because its near several offices and GW’s campus.
“Our intention is to grow a connection with the students,” Bartholomew said.
The “Maman Classics” include a rotating daily quiche for $10, Maman’s breakfast sandwich with avocado, roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, bacon and a sunny egg on a brioche bun for $14, and smashed avocado tartine for $13.50. According to its website, Maman aims to be the go-to spot for a study — or cookie — break, with seasonal offerings like vegan sesame tahini dark chocolate cookies for $4.50 and white chocolate peppermint pretzel cookies for $4.50.
Maman sells pastries in a large display case and in parchment paper decorated with a light chinoiserie pattern. The café boasts rustic wooden chairs and matching tables for guests to use if they choose to order in.
Though the Maman questions page boasts a “laptop free environment,” Bartholomew said the café welcomes students who want to use the space to study. Across the company’s 37 locations that have opened in Canada and the U.S. since the founders, Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte, opened its first location in New York in 2014, each restaurant offers seasonally-influenced French cuisine, according to the page. Menus vary by location, according to Maman’s website.
CNBC reported Marshall and Sormonte made roughly $47.2 million in sales in 2023.
Bartholomew said each store is “a little different” from other cafes in the area, like Tatte and For Five Coffee Roasters. For Maman, she said, what makes Maman stand out is the homey atmosphere created by soft blue, gray and white decorations with fake white flowers and vines hanging from the wall and ceiling.
“We try to offer more of a homey vibe, you know, cozy, comfortable, warm,” Bartholomew said, comparing the store to other cafes in the area.
Sophomore Asra Channa, who bought a chocolate croissant during her visit to Maman, said although she does not have time to enjoy Maman’s “homey” atmosphere, she stops by to get a pastry before going to class. Channa said if Maman begins to accept GWorld, there will be a bigger “influx” of students coming to the cafe.
“I would probably never go to Tatte again,” Channa said.