Detroiters will soon have unfettered access to The French Cow’s authentic French crepes and new dishes from the popular creperie by visiting Treat Dreams in Midtown.
Starting Feb. 1, The French Cow will be doing a three-month takeover of Treat Dreams, an ice cream parlor on Cass Avenue – and yes, you will be able to get a crepe with ice cream on it.
“I’m super excited. I really want to have my own brick and mortar,” said Marie Wallace, founder of The French Cow, telling BridgeDetroit that the venture will be perfect for testing the waters.
The arrangement was born out of a combination of a historically slow winter season for Treat Dreams, a long-time desire for The French Cow to have its own storefront and a love of partnerships.
“I’ve always wanted to have crepes in my store,” said Scott Moloney, owner of Treat Dreams.
It’s easy to teach people how to scoop ice cream, but much harder to make crepes, he said, so Treat Dreams has stayed away from it. Now, with Wallace stepping in, Moloney gets crepes in his shop and said he doesn’t have to worry about staffing or managing the addition. It also will add another lunch option in Midtown.
Moloney added that he’s always been big on partnerships. At the Treat Dreams shop in Ferndale, Moloney already partners with businesses to sell products and for food pop-ups and, in April, will begin hosting Hero or Villain, a sandwich food truck.
Since 2015, Wallace, a French immigrant, has been selling crepes, which are like thin pancakes, and can be made with savory or sweet ingredients. She started by selling crepes at pop-ups once a month, before becoming a regular vendor in 2017 at Eastern Market’s Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday markets.
Wallace makes the crepes at Eastern Market’s shared commercial kitchen. Because it is a shared space, Wallace said she has been somewhat limited in the storage and resources to be creative with her products, until now.
With the move to Treat Dreams, she will also sell baguette sandwiches, coffee, and a limited menu of Treat Dreams ice cream. Wallace expects to add two part-time employees, for a total of four people on her team. While at Treat Dreams, The French Cow will continue to sell crepes at Eastern Market.
In the future, Wallace hopes to have a shop of her own that serves coffee, crepes, baguettes, croissants, quiches, salads, and more.
The Midtown Treat Dreams opened in 2015. Moloney said the winter months are challenging for the ice cream shop, financially. The goal of the partnership, Moloney said, is to “get a little revenue,” and “try something new.”
“We would certainly be open to continuing the relationship if it works out for both sides,” he said.