Multi-Unit Paris Baguette Franchisee Partners with Friend to Open in Second State

Sam Yoon was already a successful business owner in Korea, with several entrepreneurial ventures under his belt. About five years ago, he and his family moved to the U.S., a decision driven in part by his search for the right franchise opportunity. After weighing several options, Yoon decided to go with Paris Baguette*. He now owns five locations in the greater Los Angeles area, but he isn’t stopping there. Yoon reached out to his friend Thomas Park with the idea of opening additional locations in Phoenix. 

Park took little convincing, as Yoon confidently showed him the value that can be added to any community with the presence of the beloved brand.

“When Sam acquired his locations and introduced me to the concept, I really fell in love with the business model and the incredible products,” said Park. “It feels very cosmopolitan and very global; you see people from all different backgrounds that are in love with the products.”

With Yoon leading the operation as main owner and operator and Park supporting him as business partner and investor, the pair look forward to bringing a new Paris Baguette location to a rapidly growing community that they are sure will appreciate its fresh-baked treats. In addition, they recently acquired the Paris Baguette in Scottsdale.

“The demographics of the Scottsdale location are very similar to those of the Phoenix location, which has already experienced a great deal of success. There's already great food options in these areas because that is a priority among the community, but Paris Baguette is such a great value added to the city,” said Park. 

1851 Franchise spoke with Park about his journey into franchising with Yoon and their plans for the future.

FEATURE QUESTIONS

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

Park: I’ve always had interest in franchise businesses with some prior experience in different franchises. Most recently, I’m part of a new Japanese hand roll, izakaya concept in Los Angeles. 

Recently, my friend Sam approached me with a new business opportunity with Paris Baguette. Sam moved to Los Angeles from Korea about five years ago and since then, he's been solely focused on franchising with Paris Baguette and growing his empire with the brand. He bought his first one in 2020 and has since been acquiring other locations around the greater Los Angeles area.

Before he franchised with Paris Baguette in the U.S., he invested in a number of franchises in Korea, some of which were incredibly big and successful. For the sake of his family, he decided to move to the United States and Paris Baguette was his transition business. He fell in love with the brand and the opportunity it gave him while making such a big move.

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

Park: My introduction to the brand was through Sam. I had a basic understanding of the brand and it’s a huge franchise presence in Korea and globally. It is picking up steam here and growing very quickly.

When Sam acquired his locations and introduced me to the concept, I really fell in love with the business model and the incredible products. It feels very cosmopolitan and very global; you see people from all different backgrounds that are in love with the products. I am very excited to bring the concept to Phoenix because it is a rapidly growing city, and there's a lot of opportunity out there.

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

Park: Paris Baguette has a couple of locations in Phoenix as of now, but the city has a similar demographic to other Paris Baguette locations that are doing really well. Sam saw the opportunity for some real growth there and I think the people of Phoenix will appreciate it. It’s a robust and lively city that offers great potential for growth. 

We’ve given ourselves an ambitious goal of opening nine locations in five years including the acquisition of an existing location, but maybe, and hopefully, we will achieve our goal even sooner than that.

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

Park: Sam and I both have experience in franchising, and Sam has experience doing it globally with businesses in Korea and the U.S. He is a true believer in the brand and is excited to bring it to a new community who will definitely appreciate it. We have an ambitious goal of opening multiple locations within Phoenix all while preserving the utmost quality and best customer service that every Paris Baguette store should strive to offer.

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

Park: Dig deep on the operations side of things. A lot of new franchisees sign on because they have the franchisor’s support and they think that the operations will be simpler than having your own brand. That’s not necessarily the case; you have to give it the same amount of effort and sweat equity. The franchisor will guide you and support you, but that doesn’t take away from the efforts required from you as a franchisee. 

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 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 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/.