San Antonio Franchisee to Open Paris Baguette Inside The Gunter Hotel in Hopes of Creating a Local Community Hub

Jiwon Choi Song is adding Paris Baguette*, the global bakery café franchise, to her latest hotel project in San Antonio. Song recently moved to Texas to help with renovations at The Gunter Hotel, which is owned by her family business. Noticing an empty space on the first floor of the hotel, Song wanted to do something bigger with it. And having been a longtime customer of Paris Baguette, the decision to bring the franchise in was an easy decision. 

Aside from being a fan of the products, Song’s choice to invest in Paris Baguette was driven by its efficient service model that provides quick grab-and-go services in a welcoming and modern atmosphere. The franchisee hopes to not only introduce Paris Baguette to her hotel guests, but to the community as a whole. With the hotel located on a busy street, the café is set up to be the perfect gathering spot for office workers, residents and employees downtown. Song is enthusiastic to be a part of the franchise’s aggressive expansion across the United States. 

1851 spoke with Song to learn more about her journey to franchising and plans for the future.

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Song: My background is in hotel management. I graduated from Cornell's School of Hotel Administration and worked at Starwood Hotels in New York before joining our family business. We’ve owned a hotel in San Antonio for a while, but we recently began renovating the property. So I moved here to be closer to the project. There's a retail space on the first floor with street access that I thought would be perfect for Paris Baguette, so I reached out to them. I'm originally from Korea and I grew up with Paris Baguette, so I’m very familiar with the brand, which made it an easy choice for me. 

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?

Song: With the hotel ownership side, we're also franchisees for hotels with brands like Marriott and Hilton. It’s my first time franchising for a food business. I’m sure there’ll be some things that are similar, but also a lot to learn. 

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

Song: The product is good quality. There are a lot of products, so there’s a good customer base — it will serve a lot of different people. I also love desserts. I was missing some of the Korean desserts so it will be great to have them in my backyard. 

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

Song: One main reason for bringing Paris Baguette here was to activate the street corner — not only for our hotel but also for downtown San Antonio. We’re located on two very prominent intersections with significant foot traffic. I think introducing Paris Baguette could be a great activator. We're planning to have outdoor seating as well, which will be appealing for passersby, drawing attention to the area and fostering growth. For us, it's not just about catering to our hotel guests but also to the local community — office workers, residents and employees downtown. My hope is to expand with more locations in San Antonio. 

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Song: I'm an entrepreneur. The renovation is a big undertaking right now. It would have been easier to just keep it as a meeting room as it is now. But I think opening a Paris Baguette is the right thing to do. I'm excited to introduce the Paris Baguette to the locals. 

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

Song: There are a lot of rules to follow. But I think those rules are made for a reason. You don’t have to start something from scratch and having the brand name is helpful, too. 

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 160 locations in markets across the country, making it one of the premier franchise opportunities in its category. Paris Baguette’s primary mission, executed every day by its expert staff of bakers, cakers and baristas, is to share moments of joy with guests and help guests share moments of joy with their friends and family by providing world-class cakes, pastries, coffees, breads and other French-inspired bakery café fare. To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://ownaparisbaguette.com/.