Paris Baguette bakery-cafe
Paris Baguette, a fast-casual bakery-cafe franchise, has more than 3,700 worldwide locations.

SUNNYVALE, CALIF. — Paris Baguette, a fast-casual bakery-cafe franchise with more than 3,700 worldwide locations, has signed its first multi-unit franchise deal in Northern California with local entrepreneur Joshua Kim.

Mr. Kim is Paris Baguette’s first franchisee since the company began franchising in September 2015. He opened his first location in San Jose, Calif., this past April, and his next location is set to open in Sunnyvale in the first quarter of 2017. His experience in the food industry dates back to the late 1990s, when he opened several Belgian Waffle stores in Korea. Now, as the owner of Refresh Foods, Inc. and Paris Baguette San Jose, Mr. Kim is focused on developing Paris Baguette’s presence, making it the “go to” bakery-cafe throughout the region.

Larry Sidoti, Paris Baguette
Larry Sidoti, chief development officer of Paris Baguette

“We expect the success in Northern California to act as a catalyst for further expansion across the state, inspiring like-minded entrepreneurs to get in on the ground level with an established restaurant brand building its U.S. presence,” said Larry Sidoti, chief development officer of Paris Baguette. “The brand is very well known overseas, and we want to drive that same success and brand loyalty here in the United States by finding the right franchise partners that fully understand the history, international popularity and growth potential of the brand.”

With more than 70 years of experience in the baking industry, Paris Baguette first debuted in the United States in 2005. The company claims its proprietary dough is “lighter, more airy, and less sweet than typical dough.” Traditional locations average 1,800 square feet to 2,500 square feet as well as non-traditional venues such as airports, hotels and casinos.

Paris Baguette currently has 47 U.S. locations stretching from the West coast to the East coast. Worldwide, the company has more than 3,700 locations throughout South Korea, China, Singapore, Vietnam and France. Further expansion plans across the United States will focus on 18 key target markets, including continued development throughout California and the Northeast. By the close of this year, Paris Baguette is on track to add 15 new locations.