--- title: "How a Love for the Brand Led Huanyu Li To Open a Paris Baguette Franchise in Virginia Beach" url: https://burnaze.com/article/9ac2db5c-118e-4174-9285-a16babba98ce source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/a-longtime-love-for-paris-baguette-led-huanyu-li-to-open-one-of-her-own-2729298 category: "Bakery & breakfast" industry: "Restaurants" segment: "Bakery & breakfast" topics: ["Development & multi-unit"] published: 2025-05-07T18:13:01.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T20:32:45.352Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/1746638588_2729298.png --- # How a Love for the Brand Led Huanyu Li To Open a Paris Baguette Franchise in Virginia Beach **TL;DR:** Huanyu Li has opened a Paris Baguette franchise in Virginia Beach, driven by her love for the brand and desire to bring it to her community. Li, an IT program lead, is taking a deliberate approach to growth as she navigates business ownership for the first time. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2025-05-07. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/a-longtime-love-for-paris-baguette-led-huanyu-li-to-open-one-of-her-own-2729298).* ## Story Huanyu Li’s journey into franchising wasn’t driven by a search for business ownership — it was sparked by a decade-long love for one brand in particular: Paris Baguette*. After years of frequenting the bakery while living in New Jersey, she made the leap alongside her husband to bring the concept to Virginia Beach, Virginia, opening the city’s first location while continuing to work full time as an IT program lead and raising two children. “I didn’t start by deciding I wanted to franchise. I wanted to open a Paris Baguette specifically,” Li said. “I used to live in New Jersey, and there are a lot of locations there, including a big one in Edison. I’ve liked the brand for more than 10 years. I love the bakery and the products, so I thought it would be a good opportunity.” Despite having no prior experience with franchising, Li dove into the process with a clear vision. “I didn’t know anything about franchising before this. This is my first time learning about it,” she said. “Paris Baguette helped explain a lot and walked me through everything at the beginning.” Li is taking a deliberate, step-by-step approach to growth as she navigates business ownership for the first time. “Right now, my goal is to focus all of my energy on making this first location successful,” she said. “In the future, I’d like to open another one, but that will depend on how things go with this store.” **Huanyu Li:** I’m originally from China, and I’ve been working as an IT program lead for more than 10 years. I have two kids and two dogs, and I live in Virginia Beach. Most of my time outside of work is spent with my kids. We go to the library, go to the playground and spend time outside. I don’t really have much time for myself, but that’s OK. **Li:** I’m still working as an IT program lead, so this is something I’m doing in addition to my full-time job. I didn’t start by deciding I wanted to franchise. I wanted to open a Paris Baguette specifically. I used to live in New Jersey, and there are a lot of locations there, including a big one in Edison. I’ve liked the brand for more than 10 years. I love the bakery and the products, so I thought it would be a good opportunity. After COVID, when everything started to feel more normal, I started researching and decided it was the right time to open one. **Li:** I didn’t know anything about franchising before this. This is my first time learning about it. Paris Baguette helped explain a lot and walked me through everything at the beginning. It’s a good brand, and this is the first location in Virginia Beach, so that’s exciting, but also challenging. The hardest part has been the training. All the training is in New Jersey, and it’s hard to ask people from Virginia Beach to go there for four weeks. It would be better if Paris Baguette could send someone to help train on-site, especially for locations that are far from the training center. **Li:** I wanted to bring something new to Virginia Beach, and this is the first location here, so it felt like a good opportunity. I also like the products. They’re not as sweet as a lot of other bakeries. As an Asian person, I appreciate that because our appetites tend to prefer less sweet flavors. The bread and desserts at Paris Baguette fit that style, which I think a lot of people in the community will enjoy too. **Li:** Right now, my goal is to focus all of my energy on making this first location successful. In the future, I’d like to open another one, but that will depend on how things go with this store. **Li:** If someone is thinking about becoming a franchise owner, I’d tell them to start by doing their own research. Read the full FDD — it’s 300 or 400 pages — and make sure you understand what kind of support the franchisor will provide. Reach out to people who already own that brand and learn from their experience. Find out how much investment it really takes and whether the franchise fits your goals, your lifestyle, and your career. Most franchises are local businesses, so it’s important to understand your local market and what people in your area want. Do your research carefully and make sure it’s the right fit before moving forward. Paris Baguette is a bakery café franchise with more than 4,000 units across the globe. The global brand first franchised in the U.S. in 2015 and has since established over 200 locations in markets across North America, making them one of the premier franchise opportunities in their category. Paris Baguette’s primary mission, executed every day by their expert staff of bakers, cakers, and baristas, is to provide guests with a warm, welcoming bakery café experience that creates joy for all. To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - Retail (sector) - franchise ownership (topic) - brand expansion (topic) - Paris Baguette (company) - bakery cafe (topic) - Virginia Beach (location) - unit opening (topic) - Huanyu Li (person) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/a-longtime-love-for-paris-baguette-led-huanyu-li-to-open-one-of-her-own-2729298). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/9ac2db5c-118e-4174-9285-a16babba98ce).