A new French cafe wants to open in a prominent location in Old Town.
New York City-based Maman Coffee Baking Kitchen has filed a special use permit application to operate a cafe, bakery, restaurant, and accessory event space at 701 King Street. That’s the former home to Foxtrot, which closed in 2024, located at the corner of King and N. Washington Streets.
The restaurant owners are requesting to open a cafe, bakery, restaurant, and accessory event space with 30 indoor seats. Maman is expecting up to 200 customers per day at the 3,900-square-foot venue.
The company launched in 2014 and has dozens of locations on the East Coast, with multiple shops in D.C. and a single shop in Fairfax’s Mosaic District. Its owners are listed on the SUP as Benjamin Sormonte and Elisa Marshall.
According to the SUP:
On any given day of the week, Maman welcomes sleepy New Yorkers, local celebrities, moms-on-the-go, business partners, and friends into one of our many locations. greeted by the scent of culinary splendor that wafts through the space, our guests step into an experience that engages all of the senses: rustic décor at every turn, the aroma and comfort of cuisines inspired by family traditions, and the highest quality ingredients. Maman founders, Benjamin Sormonte and Elisa Marshall have brought to life a melding of our earliest childhood experiences in the kitchen and a nod to their mothers from the south of France and North America. Maman, after all, means “mother” in french. what started as an independent Soho café and bakery is now a leading lifestyle brand that boasts cafés across North America.
Hours for the proposed restaurant weren’t included in the SUP, but a closing time of 8 p.m. was listed. Maman’s other locations have hours of 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The last day for public comments on the SUP is Aug. 28.
