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A fast-growing international chain of French-inspired bakery cafes is looking to open at four locations in the suburbs of Indianapolis.
Seoul, South Korea-based Paris Baguette plans to open its first bakery cafe late this year at the new $69 million Corner building at the southwest corner of 116th Street and South Rangeline Road in Carmel.
Paris Baguette franchisee Wei Zhu told IBJ that he is also working to open cafes in Fishers, Greenwood and Zionsville. Greenwood’s cafe would be the second to open locally, followed by Zionsville and then Fishers. Zhu owns Paris Baguette cafes in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
“I know [the Indianapolis area] has a lot of local pastry (options), but this is totally different,” Zhu said.
Paris Baguette offers more than 100 varieties of cakes, tarts, pastries, doughnuts, quiches, pizzettas, croissants, breads, breakfast sandwiches, salads, wraps and drinks.
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Chief Operating Officer Nick Scaccio said locations feature outdoor seating and a window through which people outside can watch employees create cakes.
“It’s actually pretty neat … you’ll see families and kids kind of press their faces up against the glass and kind of peer in and watch as the cakers are spinning and finishing cakes in the window,” Scaccio said.
Inside the 3,000-square-foot bakery cafe, customers will find a two-tiered self-serve center island that will display breads and pastries for purchase. Cakes are priced from $35 to $47 and serve 10 people, while pastries cost $3 to $10 each. Sandwiches are $12 to $18, while salads go from $9 to $15 and breakfast sandwiches are $5.49 each. Drinks cost $3 to $7.
Founded in 1988 in South Korea, Paris Baguette has more than 4,000 bakery cafes around the world. The brand expanded to the United States in 2005 in Los Angeles, and it began franchising in 2015.
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In 2020, Paris Baguette had 73 cafes in North America. The company now has more than 200 North American stores, and Scaccio said Paris Baguette’s goal is to have 1,000 cafes on the continent in 2030.
Once the bakery cafes are open in Carmel, Fishers, Greenwood and Zionsville, Scaccio said Paris Baguette will consider opening a store in Indianapolis and eventually in other communities around the state.
“Typically, our Paris Baguettes are in suburban residential areas,” Scaccio said. “And that really supports the mix of pastry, bread, coffee, sandwich, salad and both whole and sliced cake. We find that our balance of product sales really do well in suburban areas.”
The Corner in Carmel is a mixed-use building with 285 apartments, 25,000 square feet of office and retail space and a free 364-space public parking garage. The Carmel Redevelopment Commission partnered with Indianapolis-based Kite Realty Group on the development of the project.
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Almost ironic that it takes a South Korean company to give us French bakery goods. But sure sounds tasty!
I’m salivating
This looks almost identical to Tous Le Jours, another Korean chain serving European-inspired goods. Which also has a location in Carmel, and another tucked away inside Saraga in Castleton.
The look is similar, but I’ve had both, and I prefer Paris Baguette.
Looks almost identical
I had food from here when I visited Seoul in early 2017. The food was DELICIOUS, and I wished at the time that there would be one in Indy.
We had Paris Baguette in NYC when we visited in the fall and we are HUGE fans!! Can’t wait!!