SAN ANTONIO, USA – Paris Baguette, the bakery café concept with 4,000 units worldwide, is growing quickly in America. With over 160 bakery cafés in the U.S., over 100 awarded and 70 leases signed, they have built a strong presence nationwide. Now, they are growing in San Antonio. Song, an experienced hotelier and co-owner of The Gunter Hotel which will house her new bakery café, is pioneering the expansion with the recent execution of a lease at 205 East Houston St., San Antonio, TX.
Jiwon Choi Song is adding Paris Baguette to her latest hotel project in San Antonio. Song recently moved to Texas to help with renovations at The Gunter Hotel, which is owned by her family business. Noticing an empty space on the first floor of the hotel, Song wanted to do something bigger with it. And having been a longtime customer of Paris Baguette, the decision to bring the franchise in was an easy decision.
Aside from being a fan of the products, Song’s choice to invest in Paris Baguette was driven by its efficient service model that provides quick grab-and-go services in a welcoming and modern atmosphere. The franchisee hopes to not only introduce Paris Baguette to her hotel guests, but to the community as a whole. With the hotel located on a busy street, the café is set up to be the perfect gathering spot for office workers, residents and employees downtown. Song is enthusiastic to be a part of the franchise’s aggressive expansion across the United States.
“We’re on a mission to revive the concept of the neighborhood bakery café across the U.S., and we’re excited to see Jiwon take this on in her own community,” said Eric Lavinder, chief development officer. “No other bakery café franchisors are doing what Paris Baguette is on the same scale. Our ability to stay true to our bakery café roots while embracing rapid growth has allowed us to bring an unmatched experience to communities nationwide, and we’re proud to know that San Antonio will be a part of that growth.”
Once opened, the San Antonio café will bring the total number of bakery cafés in Texas to 9. As Jiwon begins development, she says she is working to open her first bakery café in Q4.
“One main reason for bringing Paris Baguette here was to activate the street corner — not only for our hotel but also for downtown San Antonio. We’re located on two very prominent intersections with significant foot traffic. We’re planning to have outdoor seating as well, which will be appealing for passersby, drawing attention to the area and fostering growth. For us, it’s not just about catering to our hotel guests but also to the local community — office workers, residents and employees downtown. My hope is to expand with more locations in San Antonio,” Song explained.
As they grow, Paris Baguette continues to stand out thanks to their clear commitment to quality, service and connection. A crucial step to maintaining this value is finding the right location for each bakery café. With an unwavering commitment to securing nothing but the best real estate sites, Paris Baguette supports their franchisees in identifying and analyzing prime real estate in their markets to select the option that lends itself to the most elevated experience.
The real estate selection process creates a foundation upon which franchisees can develop other key aspects of the Paris Baguette experience. Rather than leveraging an impersonal, quick-service model that emphasizes quantity over quality, for example, Paris Baguette remains committed to providing a great experience to each guest. From baked goods made in-café daily to a warm atmosphere and happy, welcoming team, each aspect of the Paris Baguette model embodies the vision of a neighborhood bakery café — your neighborhood bakery café.
“One of the sayings our teams throughout the system embody is, ‘Happy to see you. Even happier to serve you.’ And we know Jiwon will wholeheartedly embrace this approach in her neighborhood,” added Lavinder. “The people throughout the Paris Baguette system are what make the experience so sweet, and Jiwon’s choice to bring the concept to her own community is another step in the right direction.
As their growth continues, Paris Baguette is looking to the 1,000-unit mark in the U.S. and working to expand through meaningful partnerships with local entrepreneurs who show a genuine interest in uniting their neighbors through connections over delicious baked goods and fresh coffee drinks.
In the $17 billion bakery segment, it is Paris Baguette’s person-first approach that allows them to differentiate themselves, offering an attractive opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to build something both lucrative and meaningful. The brand’s consistently strong average unit volumes speak to the strength of the model, but Paris Baguette has never lost sight of their mission to revive the neighborhood bakery café.
As the team works toward opening 100 bakery cafés and awarding another 150 this year, they are focused on bringing the Paris Baguette experience to neighborhoods in Texas, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.
