Grégoire Targets the Greater Bay Area for Franchise Expansion

In the two decades since opening Grégoire, the Berkeley fine fast-casual eatery which offers a gourmet menu in a take-out format, Chef Grégoire Jacquet has had incredible success. The restaurant has become a staple for Bay Area locals and hungry college students in the region. Now he is ready for the next step: growth through franchising and opening more locations across the San Francisco area.

Jacquet is looking to partner with like-minded franchise owners to bring locations in San Francisco, Napa, Marin, Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. By the end of 2022, he’s planning to have three to five locations and eight to ten by 2024. A key part of his plan is to open locations near Berkeley, where there will be the East Bar culinary hub kitchen where most of the prep work is done. Franchise owners at new Grégoire locations are essentially just assembling and serving the food, and can order fresh, locally-sourced ingredients daily from the culinary hub. This makes for easy operations and low labor costs.

A Culinary Hub For Easier Operations

With that culinary hub model, Grégoire can expand across the region for relatively low operating costs. Franchise owners can offer the brand’s beloved delicacies —  like its famous potato puffs —  to people in their own communities instead of them having to come into the city to satisfy their Grégoire craving.

“People really enjoy the quality of the food and the changing menu. All of our customers wish they had one in their market,” Jacquet said.

With the streamlined culinary hub, franchisees do not have to be seasoned restaurant veterans, Jacquet explained. The hub will do much of the prep and cooking, and Jacquet will be involved in both the food and business aspects, so he is looking for owners with great experience in customer service.

“It's just them building sandwiches, which is really simple; you can train anybody to do that and we have a good system to do that as well,” Jacquet noted. “I would rather have somebody that's really geared into customer service and getting out there, that likes to interact with the customer. We need somebody that really loves people and that cares for the food they serve them.”

Grégoire Owners Need To Emphasize Customer Service

Customer interaction is such an important aspect of the Grégoire business, he explained. The Berkeley location’s kitchen has a window to the street, and Jacquet is often seen poking his head out to chat with customers or give a passing dog a treat. “There is a lot of interaction in this business, and we are looking for franchise owners that can embody our brand in new markets,” he added.

The business has a number of distinctions that make it a compelling franchise opportunity. Its position between a fine dining menu and a carryout concept means franchisees have the chance to open up a place that is unlike anything else in the market but comes with a proven track record of success and an already established loyal customer list in the Bay Area. And Jacquet himself will be there every step of the way to ensure new owners receive everything they need for their Grégoire location to burgeon.

“My team and I can create greatness and quality, and franchisees can offer awesome customer service and build relationships with their customers. By preparing all the food in the culinary hub, we remove labor and add consistency to all the franchisees, so they can really focus on serving the customer and make sure they're succeeding in the community,” he concluded.

Jacquet hopes to open a total of 30 to 40 sites in the region. The cost to open a Grégoire franchise ranges from $298,924 to $420,100. Those interested in opening a Grégoire location in the target market area between Napa and Santa Cruz counties please visit www.gfranchise.com.