Why This Restaurant Industry Veteran Signed on with Paris Baguette in Houston

Paris Baguette, the bakery café franchise with more than 4,000 units across the globe, is gearing up for major U.S. expansion as qualified, multi-unit franchisees like James Wang continue to join the brand in droves. Wang recently signed on for a six-unit development deal with Paris Baguette in Houston.

With 20 years of experience under his belt, Wang is certainly no stranger to the restaurant industry. “I grew up in the restaurant business, and my family has always been in it,” he said. “As for myself, I started off with a chain of sushi and hibachi restaurants, eventually franchising with Jinya Ramen Bar system as their biggest franchisee.”

When Wang discovered the Paris Baguette concept, he knew it would be the perfect fit for his growing portfolio. “Everytime I visited California, I had to stop at a Paris Baguette,” said Wang. “There is nothing like it in Texas, so we started researching the brand and the franchise opportunity. I’ve created my own concepts before, and I’ve owned franchises before, and I’ve learned that the most important thing is the uniqueness of the concept. Paris Baguette has a long history and established brand recognition. It really offers something for everyone, and the brand is poised for tremendous growth in Texas.”

Specializing in freshly made pastries, croissants, breads, sandwiches, cakes and coffee, the brand developed an international presence with its focus on quality and creating a friendly neighborhood atmosphere.

And according to Wang, Houston is in need of some classic, neighborhood bakery cafés like Paris Baguette. The Houston metro area is growing rapidly, with a population of 6,603,000, a 1.73% increase from its population in 2021. The metro area ranked third in overall population growth in the United States behind Dallas and Phoenix. Since 2010, the population has increased about 20.8%, adding more than 1.23 million people.

“Texas has been increasing in population over the past few years as more and more people move to the South,” Wang said. “There is a tremendous amount of opportunity in Texas, and the demographics align well with the Paris Baguette brand. The South is always a few years behind the East and West Coasts, so I like to go to the coasts and find what concepts are growing and then bring them here. I’ve done that with several other brands, and Paris Baguette is something I always knew would do well here. In five years, I believe Paris Baguette will be a household name.”

As local mom-and-pop bakery cafés disappear in cities like Houston, Paris Baguette is filling a major gap in the marketplace by serving made-on-site products in a relaxed, welcoming environment, not unlike a Parisian café. 

When it comes to the business model, Wang says Paris Baguette empowers franchisees with a streamlined operational model for multi-unit operations, a small footprint and a dedication to quality craftsmanship. And competition from other bakery café concepts is dwindling as other brands begin to cook off-site and develop a scattershot approach to their menu. With a relentless focus on quality, Paris Baguette puts its bakery skills first. It bakes croissants, breads, cakes and other assorted pastries on-site at each of its locations, in-house in a way that doesn’t break the bank on labor costs. 

“I’ve always been in the full-service restaurant industry, which requires high labor costs,” said Wang. “Now, as the industry is shifting toward automation and eliminating labor, I wanted to find a concept that was less labor intensive, but also prioritized human interaction and quality experience. Paris Baguette offers an efficient and simplified operational model that is well-positioned in today’s market.”

Wang signed a six-unit development deal in Houston and is also looking to develop in San Antonio in the future. He works in collaboration with his business partner Phil Gao, who signed a four-unit deal in Dallas. 

“Overall, we want to make sure each location we open is successful, and we want to grow the smart way,” said Wang. “I’ve opened 30 locations of previous concepts I’ve worked with in Texas, and those were niche, full-service restaurant concepts. If I can do that with a concept like that, then the sky is really the limit for a globally beloved concept like Paris Baguette.”

With multi-unit franchisees like Wang joining the brand, Paris Baguette is well on its way to achieving its goal of opening 1,000 units in the U.S. over the next 10 years. 

“We want the brand to reestablish the neighborhood bakery café in every community, and qualified entrepreneurs like James Wang are helping us do that,” said Mark Mele, chief development officer for Paris Baguette. “There’s so much joy to be had in having the opportunity to visit a neighborhood bakery café that offers expertly crafted baked and brewed goods to guests. We want our guests to be able to understand our values and the idea that our brand is really about spreading joy.”

The total investment to franchise with Paris Baguette ranges from $528,270 and $1,638,554, including a $50,000 franchise fee. For more information, please visit: https://parisbaguette.com/franchising/.