Why Paris Baguette Didn’t Need Off-Premise Sales to Thrive During the Pandemic

Paris Baguette, the 4,000-unit, globally beloved bakery cafe franchise, enjoyed such strong in-store sales that even a global pandemic couldn’t slow down the steady march of customers coming in for top-quality baked goods and cakes. While other brands strive for to-go offerings, Paris Baguette did 95-96% in on-premise sales and only 4-5% in off-premise sales, despite being fully accessible online for takeout and delivery. 

"Paris Baguette is not the only foodservice brand to find success in 2020,” said Pete Bell, the company’s chief marketing officer, “but it is one of the very few to do so without pivoting heavily towards off-premise services. The franchise does offer a number of off-premise options, including online ordering for pickup and delivery, but sales through those channels accounted for only 5% of the brand’s overall sales for the year."

As pandemic lockdowns start to recede across the country, it’s clear now is the time to invest in a strong in-store concept like Paris Baguette. 

Paris Baguette: The Neighborhood Bakery Cafe

While much of the food service industry is in a race to introduce drive thrus, partner with third party apps and generally turn everything less than fine dining into quick service, Paris Baguette’s loyal customers still delight at coming into the shop and seeing the skilled workers ply their trades. 

Paris Baguette has invested in online ordering platforms and corporate catering and partnered with third party delivery apps, but of 2020 sales, only 5% come from off-premise. Paris Baguette sees a $2,235,198 average unit volume across the system, so it’s a perfectly healthy take based primarily on people loving to visit the stores. 

“We’ve made sure that franchisees are equipped with everything they need to accommodate customers, but what we found is that most of our guests really appreciate the act of visiting a store, seeing the beautiful cakes and pastries, and picking something out,” said Bell. “It’s a genuine source of comfort for many people, and that joy for the customer translates directly back to joy for the franchisee.”

When guests see Paris Baguette’s bakers, cakers and baristas hand making every morsel of pastry, bread and cake that appears in the store’s cases, they understand they’re in a space dedicated to the joy of food, and that’s as Amazon-proof as a business gets. 

“If you look at most chain bakeries, the food might have been made hundreds of miles away from the store, and you can tell. It’s not fresh. The store doesn’t feel like there’s actually any baking going on there, and that’s not the feeling people are looking for when they’re buying a cake or picking up a loaf of bread for dinner,” said Mark Mele, Paris Baguette’s chief development officer. “Our teams are in their cafes every morning proofing dough, and you can instantly see the art, skill and passion that goes into every item we sell.”

This idea of simply excelling at the brand’s core bakery cafe concept has not only seen great sales numbers, but also growth across the system. The brand opened more than 20 U.S. locations last year and is preparing to open 1,000 units across the country before 2030. For franchisees looking to bring this unique, winning concept to their area, now is the time to invest. 

ABOUT PARIS BAGUETTE: 

Paris Baguette is a bakery & café franchise with more than 4,000 units across the globe. The brand first arrived in the U.S. in 2005 and has since established nearly 90 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 customers and help customers share moments of joy with their friends and family by providing world-class cakes, pastries, coffees, breads and other French-inspired bakery & café fare. For more information, please visit https://us.parisbaguettefamily.com/