LYNNWOOD — Whenever local entrepreneur Yoon Chang visited a city with a Paris Baguette bakery cafe, he and his family would clear the shelves.
“I always end up buying so many baked goods, and still my family and I eat it all,” he said in a statement.
It also made him wonder: When would a Paris Baguette open in the Greater Seattle area?
After consulting with his nephew Joshua Chang, they decided to open one of the franchises themselves.
A new Paris Baguette, which serves baked goods, sandwiches and coffee drinks, opens Saturday at 18602 Alderwood Mall Parkway in Lynnwood.
That’s right next door to the Dave & Buster’s and between the Avalon Alderwood Apartments and the Fogo de Chao restaurant at Alderwood mall.
Joshua Chang, the cafe’s general manager, and Yoon Chang, “an experienced entrepreneur who’s owned and operated businesses in the dry-cleaning and bubble-tea industries,” are the bakery’s new owners, a company statement said.
The Lynnwood cafe is the franchise’s first Washington location, the company said.
“We’re on a mission to revive the concept of the neighborhood bakery café across the U.S., and we’re excited to see Yoon and Joshua take this on in their own community,” said Eric Lavinder, the firm’s chief development officer, in a statement.
Based in Seoul, South Korea, Paris Baguette currently operates 4,000 stores worldwide, including 160 in the United States. The company began franchising its neighborhood-style bakery concept in 2015.
Now, it’s on a roll.
In the first three months of 2024, Paris Baguette awarded 27 new franchises and opened new stores in Texas, New Jersey, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois and New York, the company said in April.
Lavinder said the company aims to open open another 800 U.S. locations in the next few years.
Paris Baguette plans to open outlets this year in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.
Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Janice Podsada: 425-339-3097; jpodsada@heraldnet.com;
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