At just 28 years old, Parth Patel is making a bold move by bringing Paris Baguette to Avon, Ohio — the first of its kind in the Cleveland area. After growing up in a family that built a successful Dunkin’ Donuts empire from a single store, Patel knew early on what it took to succeed in franchising. Now, he’s ready to break new ground with a brand he calls “a golden egg or a golden ticket opportunity.” His goal: to introduce Cleveland to a bakery-café experience unlike anything else on the market.

Patel was drawn to Paris Baguette’s upscale aesthetic, premium products and customer-first atmosphere — a major shift from the more familiar chains. “The customer service element is just tenfold,” he said. With his first store set to open in mid-June, Patel is determined to turn one success into many, expanding across Cleveland and creating a new legacy of his own.

1851 Franchise sat down with Patel to discuss his franchising journey with Paris Baguette, his vision for growth in the Cleveland market, and the lessons he learned growing up in a family of franchise owners. Here's what he had to say:

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

Parth Patel: I would start with my parents before myself. I would say it’s the normal immigrant American dream story. They came here from India with pretty much nothing. They worked here and finally got their first shot at business, which was Dunkin’ Donuts. That was my exposure to the franchising world in 2005, and even that was just a quarter of a store — just them getting their foot in the building to scale it to where we are now.

Now we have about six locations — five in Toledo and one in the Cleveland area. I’ve pretty much been in this franchise machine since I was nine. I’ve seen what it takes — the grit and all that stuff from their end. I’ve seen them build and scale and what actual hard work looks like, but from the back end. So it’s been nice to see the slow, gradual rise from them. That was my main exposure to franchising.

I myself was also a franchisee at one of the Toledo Dunkin’ locations. I ran and operated that for about three years. Then I found this brand, Paris Baguette, and I told my dad, "I love Dunkin’. It’s phenomenal, but this just feels like a golden egg or a golden ticket opportunity." Paris Baguette just didn’t seem like anything else on the market, at least in Cleveland — nothing had that aesthetic, that vibe, that product or that quality. I thought, "This is an opportunity ready to go. We just have to implement and execute."

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

Patel: In high school, I worked the normal jobs — I worked as a cashier in Dunkin’ and I worked at Best Buy for about a year. Then I went to the University of Cincinnati for four years. I graduated in May 2019, landed a corporate job in January 2020 and then — well, everyone knows what happened in March. The pandemic hit and I got laid off.

I had a short stint as a business analyst. Then my parents and my uncle, who’s also in Toledo, said, "No one’s hiring you for a year. Just give franchising a shot. If you like it, stay. If not, go back to corporate." I had always worked as a cashier at Dunkin’, but I had never been the operator making decisions. They told me to give it a shot, and if I didn’t like it, I could walk away.

I ended up liking it. I didn’t know that I had the potential to be a good operator until I did it. It was kind of the perfect storm — they had opened a third location, I had just gotten laid off, and there was nothing to lose. It just hit at the right time.

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?

Patel: I would argue that franchising is definitely one of the easiest ways to get into business. It’s nice to have that support from the franchisor and the brand. That’s probably the biggest thing — I know myself, and I can never be "Parth’s Pastry Shop" because I don’t have that confidence in myself. But I’m really good at being an operator, and that’s the best part about a franchise: they give you the blueprint, they walk you through everything, and you just have to execute.

If you’re able to do that and lead a team, it’s perfect. Franchising was an easy choice for me, especially with a strong brand like Paris Baguette. It’s not a walk in the park — it definitely takes work — but it takes away the stress of making those macro decisions so you can focus on your micro execution.

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

Patel: I would say it’s more about the aesthetic and the actual quality of the product. A lot of the familiar cafe chains feel a bit played out at this point — both in terms of experience and customer excitement. The customer service element is just tenfold. Customers can roam around, pick their own products, do their own thing, and then come to us when they’re ready. It’s a more relaxed, elevated experience, and the customer service is on another level.

Paris Baguette is very niche. I haven’t seen a concept like this, especially one that’s thriving nationally. I know they’re based out of Korea and have about 4,500 units worldwide. So I figured, why not bring it to Cleveland and be the very first one? It just made sense. The quality, the vibe — it sits in a space that’s unique.

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

Patel: We’re just waiting for the first one to hit. After that, we can open as many as we’d like. That’s pretty much my mom and dad’s motto: one has to hit, and then we can go the rest of the way because there’s always going to be opportunity. We just need reassurance with the first store.

I would love to expand — if we can do 10, as many as we can. We want to take over Cleveland in general, and even if other markets present themselves in the future, there’s no stopping. It’s just about getting that ball rolling first.

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

Patel: Honestly, it’s pretty much the same — just that I was a kid who saw my parents do the hard work coming from an immigrant background. I’m using them as a springboard to expand. Yes, I’m doing this project, but I’m not here without the village behind me. I understand I’m going to be the focal point, but it’s really about the people who backed me to get to this point and gave me this opportunity.

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

Patel: You need to do your homework. I’ve seen the other side — relatives or family friends who wanted to get into business because of the appeal, but they didn’t glamorize the hard work, the long hours, the open-to-closes, the seven days a week. You have to prepare for that.

I would say the three key things are: make sure you have a strong brand, take very calculated risks, and do heavy research. If it’s your first business, I highly recommend a franchise because you have less stress and someone to call for advice. You can point to someone when you need help instead of taking all the stress yourself.

If you want to do personal passion projects later, that’s fine. But franchising is about taking calculated risks. Don’t glamorize someone else’s chapter 34 when you’re still on chapter one. Be willing to do the work to get there.

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 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/.