How a Chance Visit Inspired Waleed Liaqat to Bring Paris Baguette to East Plano

After years climbing the ranks in the pharmaceutical world and building a career in strategic consulting, Waleed Liaqat was ready to pivot into something of his own. He knew he wanted a brand with heart, atmosphere, and the potential to scale — and he found it, unexpectedly, inside a Paris Baguette* café. One visit turned into deep research and before long, he and his business partner secured the rights to open in East Plano. Now, with his first bakery-café set to open this month, Liaqat is introducing Paris Baguette’s signature charm to the vibrant and diverse community.

1851 spoke with Liaqat to learn more about his background, his journey to the brand and his plans for the future. 

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?

Waleed Liaqat: I was really looking for something that had a nice ambiance and a great product. I looked at different businesses and franchises. I was studying business and always wanted to become an entrepreneur. I talked to my partner, who owned multiple businesses — convenience stores, small shops — but he never owned a restaurant. So we started looking at different concepts. When I went to the full store in Wichita, I loved it. I started doing more research. Who would have thought that after a year, we would own the rights to open a store in Plano? We wanted to bring it to this area because it has a very diverse population. I’ve lived in Dallas for a couple of years, and I thought it’d be a good choice. This town really needed something like this.

1851: What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Liaqat: Previously, I worked in different pharmaceutical companies, managing operations. I worked in both small and big companies. Eventually, I moved more toward strategic consulting. From there, I stumbled upon this opportunity.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you’re in it?

Liaqat: It’s all about your risk appetite — how much risk you want to take. Ideally, I would’ve started something from scratch, but when we looked at different ideas, I realized I wasn’t ready to fly completely on my own. I wanted something with a little less risk. That’s why we thought franchising would be a better route. Another thing was how quickly we could grow. With Paris Baguette, the brand is growing fast, and I knew it was a unique opportunity. I feel blessed that I stumbled upon this, and I think, with the company growing so quickly, we can grow alongside it.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about the company?

Liaqat: I wanted something with a unique offering and the bandwidth to grow. The store build-out was really nice. Honestly, I stumbled upon Paris Baguette by chance. A friend told me he went to this really nice bakery and everybody loved it. Once I saw the location, it was very appealing. After that, I spoke with different franchisees — they all had positive things to say about corporate. Then I moved on to the third stage and talked to corporate, and they were very professional and very fair. That’s when I knew this was the route we wanted to take.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?

Liaqat: Ideally, we want to grow with the brand and eventually move into other cities and states. But first, we’re going to focus on this first store and make sure the foundation is really strong so we can take the next leap forward.

1851: Is there anything else about your story you want us to know?

Liaqat: I wouldn’t have been able to bring this to fruition without the support of my family and my business partner. Their support and confidence meant everything.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners?

Liaqat: Before you even approach corporate, you should have a game plan. Know your market, what you want to do and how you’re going to achieve that. Don’t just figure it out later — that’s not a good way to approach it. We had a plan from the start. We decided who was going to do what. I see a lot of partnerships struggle because there’s no delegation of labor. It’s a lot of work. Even though there’s support with a franchise, there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done.

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://ownaparisbaguette.com or  https://1851franchise.com/parisbaguette.

ABOUT PARIS BAGUETTE:

Paris Baguette is a bakery café franchise with more than 4,000 units across the globe. The global brand first franchised in the U.S. in 2015 and has since established over 225 locations in markets across North America, making them one of the premier franchise opportunities in their category. Paris Baguette’s primary mission, executed every day by their expert staff of bakers, cakers and baristas, is to provide guests with a warm, welcoming bakery café experience that creates joy for all. To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://ownaparisbaguette.com/.