Restaurant Business: HOW A SOUTH KOREAN BAKERY CAFÉ CHAIN IS GROWING IN THE U.S. SELLING FRENCH PASTRIES

Paris Baguette, the global bakery-cafe franchise, is pushing for rapid expansion in the United States. The restaurant, which features self-serve pastry cases, has 4,000 locations around the world. Paris Baguette’s sales have grown 44% year over year and it is seeing average unit volumes of just over $2 million.

“In the last two years, with our new executive team, we are really on pace now to get to 1,000 units in the next eight to 10 years,” says Chief Development Officer Mark Mele. “We’ve been signing franchise agreements, 11 a month for the last 16 months, plus corporate units have been growing.”

Paris Baguette is on track to open nearly 60 U.S. locations this year. The chain did $173.9 million in sales in 2021, according to Top 500 Restaurant Chain data from Technomic. Jung Ahn became a Paris Baguette franchisee in 2019 and opened his first restaurant last year, following some COVID-related delays. Ahn’s next two stores will be Paris Baguette’s newest prototype, a design that plays up the chain’s top-selling category, cakes. Upgraded grab-and-go cases will hold sandwiches, salads and beverages.

“You’re self-serving,” says Mele. “You’re loading up a box and you’re taking probably more things than you want.”