The global bakery café franchise is growing their North American presence, looking to enter the Mexico market in partnership with an experienced Master Partner.
Moonachie, NJ (RestaurantNews.com) Paris Baguette, the French-inspired bakery café franchise with a strong global presence, is further expanding in North America. With over 160 locations in the U.S. and Canada and over 100 more in development, Paris Baguette is seeing rapid growth in the two countries. Now, the team has decided it’s time to level up their entire North American presence as they look to expand into Central America.
“Being a key player in North America is a big focus for us, and knowing how successful Paris Baguette has already been in the U.S. and Canada, it’s the natural next step to bring the brand to Mexico,” explained Darren Tipton, CEO of Paris Baguette North America. “The U.S. and Canada markets have been incredibly welcoming to us, largely thanks to the truly unique product and experience we offer. We believe that our community-centric approach and emphasis on quality will empower that same success in Mexico and other countries in the Americas.”
Because Mexico is home to many booming, diverse markets, Paris Baguette sees a great opportunity to partner with a Master Partner for this next stage of growth.
“The Master Partner opportunity is a step above something like an area developer role. This person is going to lead our growth in Mexico, collaborating with us on goals, strategy and vision,” said Eric Lavinder, chief development officer. “The Master Partner will act as a franchisor in parallel to Paris Baguette North America, so they can open stores themselves or identify local franchisees to do so. They will oversee and support the development from a staffing, training, operations and marketing perspective.”
Executing on Paris Baguette North America’s behalf, the Master Partner in Mexico will pay a fee to the parent franchisor in exchange for rights to open or sell bakery café franchises in their market, but they will be entitled to a portion of the royalties that any of their franchisees pay in.
Breaking into Mexico and Central America is a major milestone, and Paris Baguette is focused on finding the right person to pioneer this expansion. Lavinder said the team is looking to partner with multi-unit and multi-brand restaurant operators who have strong experience in the industry and have developed the infrastructure, team and community connections to manage this growth. Paris Baguette welcomes qualified restaurant operators with varied backgrounds, including those in fast-casual, quick-service or full-service environments, as the business model is something truly special that does not fit squarely into a single category.
“We know that this Master Partner will need to have rich restaurant experience, but we do not want to confine ourselves to a single background,” said Lavinder. “We are looking for the best opportunity to partner with the right person — someone who is driven,