La Boulangerie opened last week in Logan Square, but while owner Vincent Colombet says that business is good, the shop is already getting into something of a pastry spat with neighbor New Wave Coffee. It’s all over some croissants. When we talked with the owner last week he let us know that the shop couldn’t sell coffee because of a noncompetitive clause set up with New Wave Coffee, which is three doors down but still in the same building. That made sense. But the Chicago Reader found out that the same clause prohibits the sale of individual croissants, meaning La Boulangerie (a bakery that makes its own croissants) can only sell them by the dozen, because New Wave Coffee already sells croissants. This, as you can probably imagine, has people on Metromix losing their minds.
Since most people don’t buy twelve croissants at a time, the shop has actually devised a fairly interesting way around. For $20 you can buy a croissant card good for twelve croissants, which you can claim at any time you want. But it does mean that you’ll have to throw down a decent amount of money upfront on a product you may or may not like.
Commenters on Yelp have been surprisingly calm about the issue, saying the croissant issue is “Understandable and not a problem.” But people on Metromix have been especially hilarious. Some are even calling for the boycott of New Wave.
Why not rise to the occasion New Wave…sweep your floors, have your employees lose their attitudes and get some decent food that doesn’t resemble last weeks wet newspaper??? Do you think by keeping out what you deem “your competition” you will increase your business?? While I can somewhat understand you not wanting big bad Starbucks to encroach upon your wonderfully tasting burnt coffee drinks or your dustball ridden floors which have strewn all over them flea and/or bed bug infested sofas and chairs. What I don’t understand is why you wouldn’t embrace a locally owned and operated business like La Boulangerie. Don’t you think more business to that corner will increase your business? Think about it.
And, our personal favorite:
Is this a free country? Apparently New Wave cannot handle some competition. Are the owners of New Wave now the dictators of Logan Square? Free the croissant!!!!!
A Dozen or None [Chicago Reader]
