Grégoire Becomes The Official Home of the Potato Puff

For over 20 years, Grégoire has become a go-to institution for diners craving fine dining-style food but with a quick carry-out experience. Alongside mouthwatering sandwiches, salads and sweets, the restaurant has become particularly famous for one thing: its beloved potato puffs. And now, following a recent trademark, Grégoire can officially call itself home of the potato puff.

“Having the trademark really helps differentiate us as a brand,” said chef Grégoire Jacquet, owner and founder of Grégoire. “The potato puff is something that is so famous and popular with our customers, and having it in different markets all over the United States will really put us on the map.” 

The story behind the potato puffs starts with a happy accident. When Jacquet was first starting his business, he knew he wanted to incorporate some finger foods into his “gourmet to-go” menu. While he was trying to recreate a deep-fried potato recipe from his native country of France, he messed up the proportions. The result was something he said was “so much better.” 

The crispy on the outside puffs have a gooey mashed potato-like consistency in the middle that customers’ simply can’t get enough of.

The potato puffs started off as just a seasonal item at Grégoire. But customers loved them so much, Jacquet decided to keep them on the menu permanently. Today, they are one of the restaurant's most sold items every single day. And Jacquet continues to innovate with the product, adding new ingredients such as parmesan cheese, garlic butter and truffle oil to complement the product. 

“People really crave the potato puff,” said Jacquet. “I have a lot of people telling me that every time they come back to Berkeley, as soon as they land, they come to Grégoire to get their potato puffs because they've been thinking about them forever. So it's really an addicting product.” 

How the Potato Puff Trademark Will Solidify Grégoire As a Growing Franchise

By trademarking such an integral part of its brand identity, Grégoire can give franchisees something no one else has as it embarks on its expansion plans. 

“The potato puffs are ours,” said Jacquet. “I created them and I know no one else has done it. So we decided to trademark it. Although you can’t really trademark a recipe, we can say that we were the first ones that made the potato puff happen.” 

In 2022, Jacquet launched Grégoire's franchise opportunity, inviting prospective franchisees to bring the brand's unique combination of carry-out and fine dining to the Greater Bay Area market. Over the next few years, Jacquet hopes to establish a presence from Santa Cruz to San Francisco and Napa. Prospective franchisees have a unique ground-level opportunity in the Bay Area, as there is already a built-in customer base of residents who not only love the potato puff, but all that Grégoire has to offer. 

“I always felt that this was just a fantastic business model,” said Jacquet. “It's a really profitable business with low food and labor costs because it's so compact. It's perfect for high-density metropolitan locations, perfect for food on the go. I see one day having a Grégoire in every major city.”

The cost to open a Grégoire franchise ranges from $240,794 to $357,370. For more information on franchising with Grégoire, visit www.gfranchise.com.