BROOKLYN, N.Y., USA – Paris Baguette, the neighborhood bakery café concept with 4,000 cafés worldwide including over 180 in North America, has seen significant growth in the past year. Susana Wu and Donna Wu, who are helping to lead the brand’s expansion in New York, will soon be opening in Brooklyn. Having recently secured real estate at 532 5th Ave Brooklyn, NY 11215, Susana and Donna are on track to open their first Paris Baguette café in early 2025.
Susana Wu and Donna Wu have been best friends since they were 16. Now, alongside their business partner Ryan Zhao, they are embarking on a new chapter of their relationship as co-franchisees of Paris Baguette in Brooklyn, New York. Susana, with her background in data analytics at Uber, and Donna, a seasoned customer service and home kitchen cabinetry design expert, teamed up with Zhao, a successful restaurant manager and investor, to step outside the conventional corporate structure and create something of their own as two moms looking to make their mark in the business world.
Their collective decision to franchise with Paris Baguette was driven by a shared love for the brand’s products, a belief in its long-term potential and the opportunity to introduce a unique fusion of French and Asian bakery items to the Park Slope community, an area they felt was underserved in terms of such culinary offerings.
“Paris Baguette is very popular in Korea and they are so creative with the pastries and products,” said Donna. “But it is not the typical bakery you would find around a primarily caucasian neighborhood like Brooklyn. It’s great that we can introduce this concept to the community and make it more diverse.”
The Brooklyn deal will bring the total number of bakery cafés within New York to 37. With plans to expand their venture by opening additional locations in the future, these “mompreneurs” are setting a new standard for what it means to pursue one’s dreams against the odds, hoping to pave the way for more minority-owned businesses in their community.
As their growth continues, Paris Baguette is looking to the 1,000-unit mark in the U.S. by 2030 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 artisan coffee drinks.
“We’re on a mission to re-establish the neighborhood bakery café as the heart of the community across the U.S., and we’re excited to see Susana and Donna bring this to life in their local trade area,” said Darren Tipton, Chief Executive Officer of Paris Baguette. “In our cafés we like to say, ‘Happy to see you. Happier to serve you.’ And we know Susana and Donna will wholeheartedly embrace this approach in their neighborhood.”
