---
title: "IT Professional to Bring First Location Paris Baguette to Virginia Beach"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/b4938275-2297-4c22-8444-03135373cad0
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/it-professional-to-bring-first-location-paris-baguette-to-virginia-beach-2724547
category: "Bakery & breakfast"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Bakery & breakfast"
published: 2023-12-28T15:10:47.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:06:40.853Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/a01248116af21c18badaf2f8756e02784987.jpg
---

# IT Professional to Bring First Location Paris Baguette to Virginia Beach

**TL;DR:** Huanyu Li, an IT professional, is opening the first Paris Baguette location in Virginia Beach. Li has been a fan of the brand for 10 years and saw an opportunity to bring it to the area after noticing a lack of similar bakery cafes.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2023-12-28. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/it-professional-to-bring-first-location-paris-baguette-to-virginia-beach-2724547).*

## Story

Huanyu Li has been a fan of Paris Baguette* for 10 years. Attracted by the stylish branding and delicious cakes, Li was disappointed to find that there were no Paris Baguette locations near her when she moved from New Jersey to Virginia Beach. When she surveyed the area and noticed that there were no other bakery cafés that served the same kind of beloved, not-too-sweet baked goods, she got the idea to start her entrepreneurial journey as a franchise owner.

**1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us.** **What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?**

**Li:** Before starting my Paris Baguette franchise, I have been working in IT for over 10 years, and I am still doing that today.

I first learned about Paris Baguette 10 years ago, before I moved to Virginia Beach, when I saw one where I lived in New Jersey at the time. I liked the branding and the look of it back then, and I still do today, which is a big part of why I chose Paris Baguette. Currently, there aren’t any locations anywhere near Virginia Beach, not even within 200 miles. This makes it such a good opportunity for me to open one.

**Li:** I knew there was a whole process, but the brand is there to guide you through it. That guidance, plus their industry knowledge and connection with contractors, makes it much easier to start a local business.

**Li:** I love the branding, and the guests love the taste of the products. They have a wide selection of choices that are not as sweet as what you can find at other bakery cafés around here. The cake is not too sweet, and I can’t find a product like that anywhere else.

**Li:** My current goal is to choose a good location. After we open, I want to make sure that I have repeat guests because that would mean people love the service and food enough to want to come back. I want to be able to produce a good bakery and a good experience for the guests, as well as an enjoyable environment for employees to work.

I might expand in the future, but that is more of a long-term goal.

**Li:** Read the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) carefully. Make sure you understand everything before you sign the agreement.

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 nearly 150 locations in markets across the country, making it one of the premier franchise opportunities in its category. Paris Baguette’s primary mission, executed every day by its expert staff of bakers, cakers and baristas, is to share moments of joy with guests and help guests share moments of joy with their friends and family by providing world-class cakes, pastries, coffees, breads and other French-inspired bakery café fare.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- franchise expansion (topic)
- new location (topic)
- Paris Baguette (company)
- bakery cafe (topic)
- Virginia Beach (location)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/it-professional-to-bring-first-location-paris-baguette-to-virginia-beach-2724547). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/b4938275-2297-4c22-8444-03135373cad0).