As chief financial officer of PSQUARE Hospitality Group, Cherie Cheung has built an impressive career in Chicago’s food scene. Since 2007, PSQUARE has launched a portfolio of innovative Pan-Asian restaurants, including Niu Japanese Fusion Lounge, Niu B Sushi & Noodle Bar, and Shang Noodle & Chinese. As the group grew to six restaurants, Cheung recognized a new opportunity in franchising — and took a leap into unfamiliar territory with Paris Baguette.
“Since 2007, we’ve been in the full-service restaurant business — restaurants and bars. Under the current economy and labor shortage, we felt that running a franchise would be easier and make more sense, especially with increased food and labor costs,” she said. While PSQUARE had a strong background in sushi and Chinese cuisine, franchising offered a path into the bakery space, a segment they had never explored.
Cheung saw Paris Baguette as a unique brand with strong potential. “We wanted to introduce the brand to Chicago. Not a lot of people knew about Paris Baguette before we opened our first location, especially in downtown Chicago. Now, everyone in the area knows it,” she said. “Before franchising, I thought of brands like McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. Paris Baguette is a very unique concept. Most people don’t realize it’s a Korean-French concept — they just think of it as a French bakery. But for a franchise, it’s a more high-end concept. The products look and taste great.”
The franchise model also brought operational benefits to her team. “They’re always working to improve operations and make things easier. For example, they’ve been improving packaging and working on ways to cut down on labor and streamline day-to-day operations,” she said. “I went with all my staff to New Jersey for training. The whole process took about six weeks. It was a unique experience because we traveled and learned together, and it really brought the team closer.”
With their Paris Baguette location now added to the PSQUARE portfolio, Cheung says the company’s growth has reached a natural stopping point. “
1851 Franchise recently spoke with Cheung about her involvement in the Chicago restaurant scene and her franchising journey with Paris Baguette. Here’s what she had to say:
1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?
Cherie Cheung: We own six other food establishments in Chicago, and we opened our first location in 2007. We’ve been in the food business for quite some time.
1851: What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?
Cheung: Since 2007, we’ve been in the full-service restaurant business — restaurants and bars. Under the current economy and labor shortage, we felt that running a franchise would be easier and make more sense, especially with increased food and labor costs. We own sushi and Chinese restaurants, but I wanted to learn something new. We had never run a franchise before. Franchising seemed like the best way to enter the bakery business, which was completely new to us.
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 are in it?
Cheung: We wanted to introduce the brand to Chicago. Not a lot of people knew about Paris Baguette before we opened our first location, especially in downtown Chicago. Now, everyone in the area knows it.
Before franchising, I thought of brands like McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. Paris Baguette is a very unique concept. Most people don’t realize it’s a Korean-French concept — they just think of it as a French bakery. But for a franchise, it’s a more high-end concept. The products look great and taste good.
1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?
Cheung: I like that they constantly roll out seasonal items so customers don’t get bored. They’re always working to improve operations and make things easier. For example, they’ve been improving packaging and working on ways to cut down on labor and streamline day-to-day operations.
1851: Can you tell us about your franchising experience with Paris Baguette?
I went with all my staff to New Jersey for training. The whole process took about six weeks. It was a unique experience because we traveled and learned together, and it really brought the team closer.
We found our own locations, and the franchise approved them if they thought they were a good fit for the concept. They assigned us a project manager for the entire construction process. We met weekly on Zoom to review progress and next steps. They made sure we followed every step and stayed on track to open on time.
1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?
Cheung: We’re not planning to open more locations because, with this new one, we’ll be operating eight in total. Honestly, I’m looking to retire.
1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners?
If people are thinking about getting into franchising — especially those without a food background — I’ve seen many who still do well. I really like the training program. Paris Baguette trains people from scratch, both in the front of the house and the back of the house.
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 200 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/.
Paris Baguette
Cheung expanded into franchising with Paris Baguette to navigate labor challenges and explore the bakery space, finding success with the brand’s unique bakery café concept.
As chief financial officer of PSQUARE Hospitality Group, Cherie Cheung has built an impressive career in Chicago’s food scene. Since 2007, PSQUARE has launched a portfolio of innovative Pan-Asian restaurants, including Niu Japanese Fusion Lounge, Niu B Sushi & Noodle Bar, and Shang Noodle & Chinese. As the group grew to six restaurants, Cheung recognized a new opportunity in franchising — and took a leap into unfamiliar territory with Paris Baguette.
“Since 2007, we’ve been in the full-service restaurant business — restaurants and bars. Under the current economy and labor shortage, we felt that running a franchise would be easier and make more sense, especially with increased food and labor costs,” she said. While PSQUARE had a strong background in sushi and Chinese cuisine, franchising offered a path into the bakery space, a segment they had never explored.
Cheung saw Paris Baguette as a unique brand with strong potential. “We wanted to introduce the brand to Chicago. Not a lot of people knew about Paris Baguette before we opened our first location, especially in downtown Chicago. Now, everyone in the area knows it,” she said. “Before franchising, I thought of brands like McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. Paris Baguette is a very unique concept. Most people don’t realize it’s a Korean-French concept — they just think of it as a French bakery. But for a franchise, it’s a more high-end concept. The products look and taste great.”
The franchise model also brought operational benefits to her team. “They’re always working to improve operations and make things easier. For example, they’ve been improving packaging and working on ways to cut down on labor and streamline day-to-day operations,” she said. “I went with all my staff to New Jersey for training. The whole process took about six weeks. It was a unique experience because we traveled and learned together, and it really brought the team closer.”
With their Paris Baguette location now added to the PSQUARE portfolio, Cheung says the company’s growth has reached a natural stopping point. “
1851 Franchise recently spoke with Cheung about her involvement in the Chicago restaurant scene and her franchising journey with Paris Baguette. Here’s what she had to say:
1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?
Cherie Cheung: We own six other food establishments in Chicago, and we opened our first location in 2007. We’ve been in the food business for quite some time.
1851: What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?
Cheung: Since 2007, we’ve been in the full-service restaurant business — restaurants and bars. Under the current economy and labor shortage, we felt that running a franchise would be easier and make more sense, especially with increased food and labor costs. We own sushi and Chinese restaurants, but I wanted to learn something new. We had never run a franchise before. Franchising seemed like the best way to enter the bakery business, which was completely new to us.
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 are in it?
Cheung: We wanted to introduce the brand to Chicago. Not a lot of people knew about Paris Baguette before we opened our first location, especially in downtown Chicago. Now, everyone in the area knows it.
Before franchising, I thought of brands like McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. Paris Baguette is a very unique concept. Most people don’t realize it’s a Korean-French concept — they just think of it as a French bakery. But for a franchise, it’s a more high-end concept. The products look great and taste good.
1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?
Cheung: I like that they constantly roll out seasonal items so customers don’t get bored. They’re always working to improve operations and make things easier. For example, they’ve been improving packaging and working on ways to cut down on labor and streamline day-to-day operations.
1851: Can you tell us about your franchising experience with Paris Baguette?
I went with all my staff to New Jersey for training. The whole process took about six weeks. It was a unique experience because we traveled and learned together, and it really brought the team closer.
We found our own locations, and the franchise approved them if they thought they were a good fit for the concept. They assigned us a project manager for the entire construction process. We met weekly on Zoom to review progress and next steps. They made sure we followed every step and stayed on track to open on time.
1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?
Cheung: We’re not planning to open more locations because, with this new one, we’ll be operating eight in total. Honestly, I’m looking to retire.
1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners?
If people are thinking about getting into franchising — especially those without a food background — I’ve seen many who still do well. I really like the training program. Paris Baguette trains people from scratch, both in the front of the house and the back of the house.
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 200 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/.
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