Paris Baguette is baking up more than just fresh pastries — it's shaping the future of bakery franchising across North America. In a recent “Franchisor Hot Seat” webinar, 1851 Franchise publisher Nick Powills sat down with Paris Baguette’s Chief Development Officer Nick Scaccio to discuss the brand’s explosive growth, operational strategy and bold vision for the future.
When Scaccio joined Paris Baguette in 2020, the brand had just 73 cafés, primarily in Asian-forward markets. Today, it has more than 225 cafés open and is on track to hit 300 by year’s end. “We’re opening 100 cafés in 2025 alone — more than we had when I started,” Scaccio said. “That scale, that pace — it’s exciting, but it’s also a huge responsibility.”
That responsibility falls squarely on a leadership team that has carefully constructed a scalable system. “This isn’t a trend brand or a flash in the pan,” Tipton said. “It’s a capital-strong business with real infrastructure and values.”
Scaccio’s operations background informs a unique perspective on franchise development. “Most people lean into their comfort zone. I’m rarely comfortable,” he said. “That mindset has helped us build out processes that scale and support our franchisees with a people-first focus.”
From vetting potential franchisees to growing internal teams, Scaccio emphasizes cohesion and shared values. “Every new owner we bring on is someone I meet personally,” he said. “If they don’t embody our values — joy, community, quality — they’re not the right fit, no matter their financial capability.”
What’s fueling Paris Baguette’s momentum? “We’re reestablishing the neighborhood bakery café as the heart of the community,” Scaccio said. From Hawaii to Texas to soon-to-launch markets in Puerto Rico and Guam, the cafés are a beacon of freshness, joy and connection.
The guest experience plays a central role in brand culture. “Our entire leadership team reads reviews every single morning,” Scaccio said. “That’s how seriously we take our guest experience.”
To sustain its trajectory, Paris Baguette is investing heavily in infrastructure. A new $160 million manufacturing facility in Texas will enhance product consistency and support the brand’s goal of reaching 1,000 cafés across North America by 2030.
“We’re focused on the ‘how,’” Scaccio said. “How do we scale without diluting quality? How do we grow with intention? It’s not just about numbers — it’s about delivering a magical guest experience at every café, every day.”
Scaccio leaves prospective franchisees with this insight: “Don’t wait. If you’re passionate about the brand and want to build something meaningful in your community, now is the time. The demand is only growing, and the white space is rapidly shrinking,” he said. “This is more than a franchise opportunity — it’s a chance to be part of a movement.”
A transcript of Scaccio’s interview with Powills appears below. It has been edited for brevity, clarity and style.
Nick Powills: Well, we can agree we both have smart parents for giving us the same name. So that's a good starting point, Nick. Thanks for doing this. I'd like to start off with your story. How did you accidentally fall into franchising? What's your franchise backstory?
Nick Scaccio: This is actually my introduction to franchising — a crash course in 2020, thanks to some great mentors, one of whom is with the company: Darren Tipton, our CEO. Ultimately, franchising to me is about leading with a people-first mentality. That's how I’ve led my career, working with teams and people over the years. That’s been the main foundational point of my transition to Paris Baguette and my past five years here.
Powills: Your background was primarily operations before getting into this franchise growth role, right?
Scaccio: Yeah, I spent most of my career in operations. The early part of my time with Paris Baguette was in strategy — I wore several hats over the course of my five years here. Several of those were in operations: VP of Ops, COO and now, over the past year or so, I’ve been spending a lot of time with our development team.
Powills: What I love about that is that sales often doesn’t have operations. This might sound a little mean, but salespeople are really good at selling — they tend not to be as detail-oriented as they need to be. When you apply someone from ops back to sales, now you’re looking at it through a lens of operationalizing the sales model, which adds detail. Is that accurate? Have you seen that in your experience?
Scaccio: Yeah, I think that’s fair to say. Most often, people lean into their comfort zone. I’m rarely comfortable. I look at any new opportunity and challenge as a way to learn and to build on potentially great processes that are in place. Most importantly, I focus on putting the right people in the right places to do great things for the organization. I cut my teeth in operations for many years, which gave me a deep understanding of the business. I can now apply that understanding when working with prospective franchise owners who are interested in Paris Baguette.
Powills: You’re in it, and you’ve really been here for the ride. Paris Baguette was a stable company when you joined, but it was very different — mostly focused in Asian-forward markets, and around 100 locations. Now, you’ve experienced explosive growth. So, first: do you feel like you're on a unicorn ride? What you’ve done is incredibly rare in franchising — from unit-level economics to consistent expansion. Are you aware of that? Or is the roller coaster going too fast?
Scaccio: It’s definitely a fun roller coaster. When I started in 2020, we had 73 cafés — many in Asian-forward markets. Since then, we’ve had several great leaders join the senior team, even before I started and through today. Our CMO, our head of supply chain, of course Darren — all of them have really helped shape the vision of Paris Baguette North America.
The vision is to reestablish the neighborhood bakery café as the heart of the community — specifically in North America for us. We’re an ever-evolving brand, and it’s incredibly exciting. We do have moments where we look up and celebrate milestones — ironically, our [quarterly business review] is tomorrow, and that’s usually when we reflect.
Powills: How many units are open now?
Scaccio: We’re at 226 right now, and we’ll be at 230 over the next couple of weeks.
Powills: How many are opening this year?
Scaccio: Our benchmark is 100 for this year — that’ll be our high watermark.
Powills: So, you’ll open more cafés this year than the company had in total when you joined. That’s kind of crazy. Let’s frame it for someone watching this — a candidate, maybe. You’ve got supply and demand dynamics here: opening 100 cafés a year means demand is going up, and available supply (territory) is going down. There was a quote I remember — the founder of Panda Express became a franchisee of Tide Cleaners. When asked why, he said, “I don’t want to miss the next McDonald’s.” That fear of missing out is real.
What’s interesting about Paris Baguette is that the name is already beautiful — and that matters. It wasn’t a brand that exploded everywhere right away. It opened in pockets, mostly Asian markets. But now, as it moves into mainstream, AUVs aren’t just staying the same — they’re increasing. More and more customers are falling in love with the product, the experience, the cafés.
And this isn’t a cheap franchise. The franchisees coming in are sophisticated. They're opening multiple units because expectations are being met — or exceeded. That creates a magical situation. Does it ever hit you how rare this is?
Scaccio: We do have those moments, yes. But our team is very focused on what’s next. Everyone is passionate about moving forward. From the 51 cafés we opened last year, to the 100 this year, and maybe 150 next year — we’re evolving fast.
Those moments of celebration are special, but then we huddle back up and think about how to keep making an impact. It’s an exciting ride.
Powills: You’re getting to 100 units a year. You’ll surpass 300 locations soon, but 300 isn’t 3,000. The engine is running now — how do you maintain the culture, the people, the franchisee quality as you accelerate?
Scaccio: Growth is incredibly exciting, but it’s also a lot of work. It’s about understanding your scale and the people you need in each function — not just in terms of skill, but how they interact as a team. That’s a big focus for us. Cohesion matters.
We’re very intentional about who we bring onto the team. We look for people who share the mindset, who believe in the mission, and who align with our brand values. We vet that through in-person meetings when possible, lots of interactions with our leadership team and department heads. We want to know: have they been to a Paris Baguette café? Do they understand what we do?
Powills: What keeps you up at night?
Scaccio: A lot of things related to the business. What we did in 2020 doesn’t work now. What we did three weeks ago might not work tomorrow. We’re always analyzing how we’re changing, evolving, and what we need to do to support our franchise owners. That’s always been my number one priority — how do we help them succeed? If they see the benefit of the brand, they’ll spread the word. Word of mouth is the best compliment we can get.
Powills: It doesn’t sound like your challenge is selling franchises — it’s making sure you protect the culture. The business is too sound. So, it’s not “let me in,” it’s “are you the right fit?” Right?
Scaccio: Exactly. We evaluate franchise owners the same way we evaluate team members. Do they model our brand values? Do they have heart? Do they rise to the occasion? Do they nourish the community and spread joy? That matters in how they hire managers, build their teams, and operate their cafés.
Powills: So let’s talk scale. You’re heading toward 150 stores a year. That’s almost three a week. Is there a point where you have to cap growth? Or can you break through that?
Scaccio: We always ask “how.” How we get there is always our focus. Of course, we’re concerned about scaling too fast or diluting the experience. But we mitigate that by focusing on how we scale — with purpose.
Powills: Let’s rewind to five years ago. You’ve worked with Darren before. He presents this big vision. What percentage of you believed it would happen, and what percentage was skeptical?
Scaccio: Honestly, when Darren and I talked, I had to see it to believe it. Before we went any further, I told him, “Let’s meet at a café.” So we met at Columbus Circle. I was absolutely floored — the product quality, the ambiance, the abundance. I saw the vision and felt it. That was the turning point.
Powills: I had the same experience. I walked into a unit in Jersey back in 2020 and was blown away. I had seen Paris Baguette before but didn’t realize the opportunity it represented. It’s rare to find a brand that’s quietly built a fanatical following and is just now going mainstream. The stores are beautiful. The product looks like it was made by a robot — but it's made by chefs.
So here’s the odd question: you’ve built the platinum album. This is going to continue to grow. Does that create pressure on your career? How do you follow this?
Scaccio: It’s been an incredible five years. As long as Darren’s happy to have me here, I’m happy to be here and support this mission. We’ve got a great team and an exciting year ahead — welcoming another 250-plus deals. Probably half of those will be new members. I meet every single one before we sign.
Powills: What makes you say no to a prospective franchisee?
Scaccio: Passion. Do they really care about the brand? I ask every candidate: “Why do you want to be a part of Paris Baguette?” If they don’t embody our brand values, that’s a red flag.
Powills: So if it feels too money-forward and not people-forward, that’s a no?
Scaccio: Right. We’re focused on strengthening the brand’s position. Guest experience is everything. Our leadership reads every review, every morning. That’s how important it is to Darren and the rest of us. We expect that same level of care from our owners and their teams.
Powills: I talked to a franchisee last week. I asked for advice for someone considering franchising. He said, “Just do it. If I have to convince you, you shouldn’t be talking to me.”
So for someone watching this who’s on the fence — what do you want them to know?
Scaccio: Paris Baguette is all about quality — breads, pastries, cakes, sandwiches, salads and made-to-order drinks with Lavazza coffee. We’re at 300+ cafés this year, opening 100 in 2025, and 150 forecasted for next year. We have a roadmap to 1,000 cafés by 2030.
We’re building a domestic manufacturing facility in Texas to support R&D and financial models across North America. We’re always evolving. There’s no better time to be part of Paris Baguette.
Powills: Yeah, supply and demand is real. Wait too long, and your market’s gone. Most people want to open in their own backyard. You don’t want to look back and realize you missed a rocket ship.
I’ve seen other trends — frozen yogurt, self-serve — explode, but they had no foundation. Paris Baguette has the foundation. And every person I’ve met here is a standup human being. That creates culture. I saw it at your conference — the pride, the passion.
I’m grateful for your story, Nick. And I’m grateful Paris Baguette is part of mine.
Scaccio: Thank you, Nick. Appreciate the time.
Watch the full webinar here.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://ownaparisbaguette.com or https://1851franchise.com/parisbaguette.
Paris Baguette
SPONSORED
In a recent webinar, Paris Baguette's CDO and former COO Nick Scaccio shared plans to reach 1,000 cafes by 2030, emphasizing people-first leadership, community and major infrastructure investment.
Paris Baguette is baking up more than just fresh pastries — it's shaping the future of bakery franchising across North America. In a recent “Franchisor Hot Seat” webinar, 1851 Franchise publisher Nick Powills sat down with Paris Baguette’s Chief Development Officer Nick Scaccio to discuss the brand’s explosive growth, operational strategy and bold vision for the future.
When Scaccio joined Paris Baguette in 2020, the brand had just 73 cafés, primarily in Asian-forward markets. Today, it has more than 225 cafés open and is on track to hit 300 by year’s end. “We’re opening 100 cafés in 2025 alone — more than we had when I started,” Scaccio said. “That scale, that pace — it’s exciting, but it’s also a huge responsibility.”
That responsibility falls squarely on a leadership team that has carefully constructed a scalable system. “This isn’t a trend brand or a flash in the pan,” Tipton said. “It’s a capital-strong business with real infrastructure and values.”
Scaccio’s operations background informs a unique perspective on franchise development. “Most people lean into their comfort zone. I’m rarely comfortable,” he said. “That mindset has helped us build out processes that scale and support our franchisees with a people-first focus.”
From vetting potential franchisees to growing internal teams, Scaccio emphasizes cohesion and shared values. “Every new owner we bring on is someone I meet personally,” he said. “If they don’t embody our values — joy, community, quality — they’re not the right fit, no matter their financial capability.”
What’s fueling Paris Baguette’s momentum? “We’re reestablishing the neighborhood bakery café as the heart of the community,” Scaccio said. From Hawaii to Texas to soon-to-launch markets in Puerto Rico and Guam, the cafés are a beacon of freshness, joy and connection.
The guest experience plays a central role in brand culture. “Our entire leadership team reads reviews every single morning,” Scaccio said. “That’s how seriously we take our guest experience.”
To sustain its trajectory, Paris Baguette is investing heavily in infrastructure. A new $160 million manufacturing facility in Texas will enhance product consistency and support the brand’s goal of reaching 1,000 cafés across North America by 2030.
“We’re focused on the ‘how,’” Scaccio said. “How do we scale without diluting quality? How do we grow with intention? It’s not just about numbers — it’s about delivering a magical guest experience at every café, every day.”
Scaccio leaves prospective franchisees with this insight: “Don’t wait. If you’re passionate about the brand and want to build something meaningful in your community, now is the time. The demand is only growing, and the white space is rapidly shrinking,” he said. “This is more than a franchise opportunity — it’s a chance to be part of a movement.”
A transcript of Scaccio’s interview with Powills appears below. It has been edited for brevity, clarity and style.
Nick Powills: Well, we can agree we both have smart parents for giving us the same name. So that's a good starting point, Nick. Thanks for doing this. I'd like to start off with your story. How did you accidentally fall into franchising? What's your franchise backstory?
Nick Scaccio: This is actually my introduction to franchising — a crash course in 2020, thanks to some great mentors, one of whom is with the company: Darren Tipton, our CEO. Ultimately, franchising to me is about leading with a people-first mentality. That's how I’ve led my career, working with teams and people over the years. That’s been the main foundational point of my transition to Paris Baguette and my past five years here.
Powills: Your background was primarily operations before getting into this franchise growth role, right?
Scaccio: Yeah, I spent most of my career in operations. The early part of my time with Paris Baguette was in strategy — I wore several hats over the course of my five years here. Several of those were in operations: VP of Ops, COO and now, over the past year or so, I’ve been spending a lot of time with our development team.
Powills: What I love about that is that sales often doesn’t have operations. This might sound a little mean, but salespeople are really good at selling — they tend not to be as detail-oriented as they need to be. When you apply someone from ops back to sales, now you’re looking at it through a lens of operationalizing the sales model, which adds detail. Is that accurate? Have you seen that in your experience?
Scaccio: Yeah, I think that’s fair to say. Most often, people lean into their comfort zone. I’m rarely comfortable. I look at any new opportunity and challenge as a way to learn and to build on potentially great processes that are in place. Most importantly, I focus on putting the right people in the right places to do great things for the organization. I cut my teeth in operations for many years, which gave me a deep understanding of the business. I can now apply that understanding when working with prospective franchise owners who are interested in Paris Baguette.
Powills: You’re in it, and you’ve really been here for the ride. Paris Baguette was a stable company when you joined, but it was very different — mostly focused in Asian-forward markets, and around 100 locations. Now, you’ve experienced explosive growth. So, first: do you feel like you're on a unicorn ride? What you’ve done is incredibly rare in franchising — from unit-level economics to consistent expansion. Are you aware of that? Or is the roller coaster going too fast?
Scaccio: It’s definitely a fun roller coaster. When I started in 2020, we had 73 cafés — many in Asian-forward markets. Since then, we’ve had several great leaders join the senior team, even before I started and through today. Our CMO, our head of supply chain, of course Darren — all of them have really helped shape the vision of Paris Baguette North America.
The vision is to reestablish the neighborhood bakery café as the heart of the community — specifically in North America for us. We’re an ever-evolving brand, and it’s incredibly exciting. We do have moments where we look up and celebrate milestones — ironically, our [quarterly business review] is tomorrow, and that’s usually when we reflect.
Powills: How many units are open now?
Scaccio: We’re at 226 right now, and we’ll be at 230 over the next couple of weeks.
Powills: How many are opening this year?
Scaccio: Our benchmark is 100 for this year — that’ll be our high watermark.
Powills: So, you’ll open more cafés this year than the company had in total when you joined. That’s kind of crazy. Let’s frame it for someone watching this — a candidate, maybe. You’ve got supply and demand dynamics here: opening 100 cafés a year means demand is going up, and available supply (territory) is going down. There was a quote I remember — the founder of Panda Express became a franchisee of Tide Cleaners. When asked why, he said, “I don’t want to miss the next McDonald’s.” That fear of missing out is real.
What’s interesting about Paris Baguette is that the name is already beautiful — and that matters. It wasn’t a brand that exploded everywhere right away. It opened in pockets, mostly Asian markets. But now, as it moves into mainstream, AUVs aren’t just staying the same — they’re increasing. More and more customers are falling in love with the product, the experience, the cafés.
And this isn’t a cheap franchise. The franchisees coming in are sophisticated. They're opening multiple units because expectations are being met — or exceeded. That creates a magical situation. Does it ever hit you how rare this is?
Scaccio: We do have those moments, yes. But our team is very focused on what’s next. Everyone is passionate about moving forward. From the 51 cafés we opened last year, to the 100 this year, and maybe 150 next year — we’re evolving fast.
Those moments of celebration are special, but then we huddle back up and think about how to keep making an impact. It’s an exciting ride.
Powills: You’re getting to 100 units a year. You’ll surpass 300 locations soon, but 300 isn’t 3,000. The engine is running now — how do you maintain the culture, the people, the franchisee quality as you accelerate?
Scaccio: Growth is incredibly exciting, but it’s also a lot of work. It’s about understanding your scale and the people you need in each function — not just in terms of skill, but how they interact as a team. That’s a big focus for us. Cohesion matters.
We’re very intentional about who we bring onto the team. We look for people who share the mindset, who believe in the mission, and who align with our brand values. We vet that through in-person meetings when possible, lots of interactions with our leadership team and department heads. We want to know: have they been to a Paris Baguette café? Do they understand what we do?
Powills: What keeps you up at night?
Scaccio: A lot of things related to the business. What we did in 2020 doesn’t work now. What we did three weeks ago might not work tomorrow. We’re always analyzing how we’re changing, evolving, and what we need to do to support our franchise owners. That’s always been my number one priority — how do we help them succeed? If they see the benefit of the brand, they’ll spread the word. Word of mouth is the best compliment we can get.
Powills: It doesn’t sound like your challenge is selling franchises — it’s making sure you protect the culture. The business is too sound. So, it’s not “let me in,” it’s “are you the right fit?” Right?
Scaccio: Exactly. We evaluate franchise owners the same way we evaluate team members. Do they model our brand values? Do they have heart? Do they rise to the occasion? Do they nourish the community and spread joy? That matters in how they hire managers, build their teams, and operate their cafés.
Powills: So let’s talk scale. You’re heading toward 150 stores a year. That’s almost three a week. Is there a point where you have to cap growth? Or can you break through that?
Scaccio: We always ask “how.” How we get there is always our focus. Of course, we’re concerned about scaling too fast or diluting the experience. But we mitigate that by focusing on how we scale — with purpose.
Powills: Let’s rewind to five years ago. You’ve worked with Darren before. He presents this big vision. What percentage of you believed it would happen, and what percentage was skeptical?
Scaccio: Honestly, when Darren and I talked, I had to see it to believe it. Before we went any further, I told him, “Let’s meet at a café.” So we met at Columbus Circle. I was absolutely floored — the product quality, the ambiance, the abundance. I saw the vision and felt it. That was the turning point.
Powills: I had the same experience. I walked into a unit in Jersey back in 2020 and was blown away. I had seen Paris Baguette before but didn’t realize the opportunity it represented. It’s rare to find a brand that’s quietly built a fanatical following and is just now going mainstream. The stores are beautiful. The product looks like it was made by a robot — but it's made by chefs.
So here’s the odd question: you’ve built the platinum album. This is going to continue to grow. Does that create pressure on your career? How do you follow this?
Scaccio: It’s been an incredible five years. As long as Darren’s happy to have me here, I’m happy to be here and support this mission. We’ve got a great team and an exciting year ahead — welcoming another 250-plus deals. Probably half of those will be new members. I meet every single one before we sign.
Powills: What makes you say no to a prospective franchisee?
Scaccio: Passion. Do they really care about the brand? I ask every candidate: “Why do you want to be a part of Paris Baguette?” If they don’t embody our brand values, that’s a red flag.
Powills: So if it feels too money-forward and not people-forward, that’s a no?
Scaccio: Right. We’re focused on strengthening the brand’s position. Guest experience is everything. Our leadership reads every review, every morning. That’s how important it is to Darren and the rest of us. We expect that same level of care from our owners and their teams.
Powills: I talked to a franchisee last week. I asked for advice for someone considering franchising. He said, “Just do it. If I have to convince you, you shouldn’t be talking to me.”
So for someone watching this who’s on the fence — what do you want them to know?
Scaccio: Paris Baguette is all about quality — breads, pastries, cakes, sandwiches, salads and made-to-order drinks with Lavazza coffee. We’re at 300+ cafés this year, opening 100 in 2025, and 150 forecasted for next year. We have a roadmap to 1,000 cafés by 2030.
We’re building a domestic manufacturing facility in Texas to support R&D and financial models across North America. We’re always evolving. There’s no better time to be part of Paris Baguette.
Powills: Yeah, supply and demand is real. Wait too long, and your market’s gone. Most people want to open in their own backyard. You don’t want to look back and realize you missed a rocket ship.
I’ve seen other trends — frozen yogurt, self-serve — explode, but they had no foundation. Paris Baguette has the foundation. And every person I’ve met here is a standup human being. That creates culture. I saw it at your conference — the pride, the passion.
I’m grateful for your story, Nick. And I’m grateful Paris Baguette is part of mine.
Scaccio: Thank you, Nick. Appreciate the time.
Watch the full webinar here.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://ownaparisbaguette.com or https://1851franchise.com/parisbaguette.
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