ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Paris Baguette continues to make headway toward its goal of opening 1,000 cafes across the country within the next five years, and has zeroed in on the Allentown-area market.
The French-inspired bakery-cafe opened its first Lehigh Valley storefront in May, in Bethlehem with franchisee Lan Ma.
After the Bethlehem location's opening, Paris Baguette received "a pretty significant amount of interest" from the Easton and Allentown area.Paris Baguette franchise Chief Development Officer Nick Scaccio
"Part of our goal is to really listen to our guests," franchise Chief Development Officer Nick Scaccio said.
"And, you know, all over the Northeast, when we've opened, we've continued to hear from our guests that there's a demand for Paris Baguette in various cities. And, amongst those guests are future franchise owners.
"So it's been really exciting to be able to hear our guests and bring Paris Baguette to various markets across the country, including Allentown."
Scaccio said that, after the Bethlehem location's opening, Paris Baguette received "a pretty significant amount of interest" from the Easton and Allentown areas.
That falls in line with the bakery-cafe's "strong demand" across the country, he said.
In a news release, the company highlighted its growth, with 50 more cafes to open before the year ends and 450 more in development.
According to 1851 Franchise, which provides insights, news and resources about the franchise industry, startup costs for a Paris Baguette bakery cafe cost $650,000 to $1.8 million.
1851 Franchise said the Paris Baguette Franchise Disclosure Document "stores saw a whopping $2.7 million average unit volume across the system."
Scaccio said, on average, each bakery cafe employs 30 to 50 people.
"So, you know, a good number of jobs that the organization will provide for in the area there," he said.
What is Paris Baguette?
Scaccio said the "Korean-born, French-inspired" franchise aspires to be "the neighborhood bakery cafe of choice."
"We focus on breads, pastries, celebratory whole cakes, cake slices, sandwich, salad and a specialty coffee and nature beverage program anchored by lavata coffee," Scaccio said.
"And our real, true focus is on the highest possible quality of product, and high quality guest service.
"So we aspire to bring that to every neighborhood across across the U.S. and Canada, and hopefully coming to a neighborhood near many."
The first Paris Baguette was founded in 1988 in South Korea. But according to its website, its origins date to 1945, in a small bakery named Sangmidang.
"The spirit of Sangmidang, which is to not leave a single piece of bread unchecked, is still with us 76 years later."Paris Baguette website
"The spirit of Sangmidang, which is to not leave a single piece of bread unchecked, is still with us 76 years later," the website says.
Soon, that spirit will enter Allentown and surrounding areas.
A spokesperson for Paris Baguette said the franchise is looking to develop in both Allentown proper and the neighboring communities, but "there hasn't been any real estate signed quite yet."
Scaccio said the franchise typically looks for properties with 3,000 to 4,000 square feet so the location can build out typical Paris Baguette brand elements, such as the large center islands for guests to peruse and select their own products.
Once Paris Baguette closes in on a property, Scaccio said the franchise will hold a grand opening celebration.
"We just celebrated our 250th in Frederick, Maryland, which was an incredible milestone for the brand in North America," he said.
"It' a pretty neat activation. So, I imagine that we'll have something similar at the opening here."
