Virginia Family Signs to Bring Paris Baguette to Their Ashburn, VA Community

Andrew, Joe and Yulia Kook all have different relationships with Paris Baguette*. However, when all three found themselves thinking about career shifts, franchising with the brand quickly came to the forefront as an opportunity they would love to pursue. 

With a range of experiences, including a strong family loyalty to the brand with a trip to a nearby Paris Baguette location nearly every weekend, the trio was confident that its unique, high-quality offerings would succeed in the Ashburn area and decided to pursue the investment as a group.

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

Joe: I just graduated college four years ago. I’m a former personal trainer, but when I decided that wasn’t the route I wanted to take, I became a barista for Starbucks. I really enjoyed it. The atmosphere was nice, and I enjoyed serving people and putting a smile on their faces. Funny enough, I was about to switch job paths again, but the family proposed starting a franchise. We all love food and know about food culture, so we thought it’d be a fun and exciting thing to try out.

Yulia: I was in the IT industry for a couple years before I had my son two years ago. After he was born, I stopped working to take care of him, but when we was almost two, I decided I wanted to go back to work. Instead of going back to IT, I wanted to have our own business — that’s better for our family. 

Paris Baguette was the first thing that came to mind. I was born in Korea, and before my family came to the states, I made some really good memories with Paris Baguette. My parents would always let us get breads and cakes. I wanted my baby to have those same great memories.

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?

Joe: I didn’t have much of a perception. Our parents were their own business owners, and our brother is not in the franchise field but in construction and contracting, which is helping a lot right now. 

I think someone should know that you have to put 100% into it. It’s fun and very exciting, but the process is not something to joke about. It can take up almost 24/7, and having multiple people to put their heads together makes it a lot less stressful.

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

Joe: Paris Baguette on top! Seriously, Paris Baguette has the best bread and pastries out of everything we’ve ever tried. The quality is there, and we really believe in the brand.

Yulia: My personal experience with the brand was the main driver for why I chose it. I’m excited to bring the great quality goods to our community and help other people create those great memories. 

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

Joe: Right now, we’re really excited for the local community to get to experience Paris Baguette. We really want to cater to them. Our primary goal is to really reach out to the local people. From there, we have hopes of expanding to a second location at some point.

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

Joe: For me, even though I’m Korean-American, I don’t know as much about Korean culture. This is a good onramp into exploring my Korean culture even more. Through business ownership, Paris Baguette is helping me to embrace my roots in a way.

Yulia: Mine is sort of the opposite. I grew up eating Paris Baguette, my first language is Korean and I’m very connected to the brand and Korean culture. In addition to my passion for the concept, I think I will be well equipped to serve the Korean guests at our location very well and in a welcoming way.

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

Joe: You have to have transparency among the people you're working with. It’s worth it to make sure, at literally every step, that everyone is on the same page. Make sure the work is split up well, and allow everyone to take on a role.

ABOUT PARIS BAGUETTE: 

Paris Baguette is a bakery café franchise with more than 4,000 units across the globe. The brand first franchised in the U.S. in 2015 and has since established nearly 150 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://parisbaguette.com/franchising/.