MOONACHIE, N.J., USA – Paris Baguette, the 4,000-plus-unit global bakery café concept with over 120 restaurants in the U.S. alone, has been recognized by Nation’s Restaurant News in its 2023 Top 500 Ranking. Recognized for its strong system-wide expansion and impressive sales growth, Paris Baguette “has a lot of momentum.”
Introducing the ranking, Nation’s Restaurant News notes that “the industry’s footprint largely stabilized in 2022” after two tumultuous years of inflation, challenging labor circumstances and “a tangled supply chain.” In evaluating the top 500 restaurants, the ranking looked for restaurants that drove remarkable success in 2022, demonstrating a remarkable recovery from the consequences of the pandemic.
“A full 456 chains on this year’s Top 500 — that’s 91% of them — enjoyed sales growth in 2021, according to figure [sic] reported by Datassential and its Firefly 500 platform,” the staff wrote. “Store-count growth wasn’t quite as rosy of a picture — about 60% of chains on the Top 500 were flat or had positive growth.”
Paris Baguette, however, secured positive remarks in both arenas, offering a 25% increase in unit-count growth and a 36% climb in sales. Notably, Mark Mele, chief development officer, shared that the franchise did not “take price,” meaning it did not pass inflation costs along to guests. Rather, Paris Baguette’s ongoing sales spikes are truly indicative of increased guest count and order size.
“We are excited to have been recognized by Nation’s Restaurant News once again, and our climbing placement relative to the 2022 ranking is a testament to the work we’re doing as a brand,” said Darren Tipton, chief executive officer of Paris Baguette America. “With thousands of cafés around the world, Paris Baguette has become a community favorite as we’ve worked to become the neighborhood bakery at the heart of the communities we enter. I think that really reflects who we are and what we’re doing in the industry.”
The New Jersey-based franchisor is known for the unique experience it brings: a French-inspired bakery café that bakes all of its breads, cakes and pastries fresh daily. With an updated, welcoming store prototype and truly unique product offerings, Paris Baguette has positioned itself as a go-to for many individuals and families seeking a morning coffee, midday pick-me-up, evening dessert or venue to celebrate.
“We’ve reset the entire brand over the past three years,” Tipton told Nation’s Restaurant News. “If you look at how we’ve come out of the pandemic to now, it’s very exciting. No one is doing what we’re doing. About 80% of what we sell is bread, pastries and cake, and we’re going to stay true to who we are.”
