Business Thu May 19 2011

The kerfuffle between Logan Square's New Wave Coffee and La Boulangerie has turned a new corner. If you'll recall, the French bakery moved into the space next to the coffee shop last fall--kind of a boneheaded move, given the noncompete agreement that favored New Wave when it came to goods that both businesses could sell--among them croissants, a major staple of any French bakery. As a result, New Wave was free to individually sell the horns of buttery, flaky goodness, whereas La Boulangerie could only sell theirs by the dozen.

The Stew is reporting that La Boulangerie has found a clever workaround to the noncompete: their outdoor patio, which is approved by the City for operation and isn't subject to the agreement they have with New Wave. So while you can't get an individual croissant inside La Boulangerie, you certainly can outside. La Boulangerie owner (and now the recipient of Drive-Thru's "Rey Colon Award for Excellence in Community Relations") Vincent Colombet reportedly boasted that "outside the building, we can do whatever we want," whereas New Wave owner Zach Zulauf is frustrated by his neighbor's crafty behavior, calling the situation "aggravating."