Soon, you won’t have to book a flight to Paris to experience the authentic tastes of European cafés.
Thanks to Rahul and April Rai, Paris Baguette is coming to DFW. The Grand Prairie couple has secured the development of four franchise locations. Each will offer a variety of world-class cakes, pastries, coffees, breads, and other French-inspired bakery café fare.
The Dallas Express visited with franchise development owner Rahul Rai to find out more about the promised culinary experience that will transport visitors to the streets of Paris.
Paris Baguette is a global cafe franchise with over 4,000 units worldwide. In 2015, the brand ventured into the United States, and since then, it has established more than 150 locations in various markets across the country, per the company’s website. Paris Baguette aims to have 1,000 bakery cafés in the United States by 2030.
The Paris Baguette team comprises highly skilled bakers, baristas, and pastry chefs who work to achieve their primary mission: to provide world-class French-inspired bakery café eats. Their menu features an array of pastries, cakes, bread, coffee, and more.
As an avid traveler, Rai frequented small cafés in Europe, noticing he could grab a snack and have a satisfying, high-quality experience. In America, however, it is much different, Rai explained.
“Snack options in America often consist of burgers, sandwiches, and chicken nuggets,” Raid said, noting that finding a genuinely well-made pastry and an exceptional cup of coffee can be challenging.
“The best option we have here is Starbucks, but when you have eaten the pastries in Europe, there is no comparison,” he said.
Paris Baguette’s ability to provide authentic baked goods using high-quality ingredients and a skilled team caught Rai’s attention, not knowing Paris Baguette was a franchise at the time. He and his wife were all in once he discovered he could offer this concept to others in DFW.
“The pastries are pristine — just like you would have in any European bakery. And the coffee is Lavazza, a well-known, very high-quality Italian brand of coffee,” said Rai.
In each Paris Baguette location, bakers prep the night before and start baking at 3 a.m. the following morning to provide fresh croissants and other baked goods for visitors when their business doors open at 7 a.m., explained Rai.
“Nothing is held over from day to day. Everything is made and served fresh from scratch daily,” he said. “You can tell the quality simply in one bite.”
Rai explained that because Paris Baguette has so many locations, it has the buying power to obtain the highest-quality ingredients.
“No one should be buying bread with an expiration date of two months. No bread should be good after two days. So much of what Americans eat is full of preservatives. Paris Baguette does not do this, so we know we are giving our customers healthier, fresher-made items,” he said.
Paris Baguette is also famous for its cakes. Rai shared that a New York location sold around 2,000 freshly baked cakes for Mother’s Day last year. “That is how much people love Paris Baguette cakes,” he said.
“The cakes are very well known. People buy them for all occasions, and they are often sold out. They are authentic in that they are not overly sweet like in America. The flavors are real, not artificial,” Rai said.
Paris Baguette locations have “live theater,” explained Rai, where visitors can see the pastry chefs making the cakes. “It is not only delicious but also art. A lot of pride goes into their work.”
Paris Baguette also offers catering, added Rai, explaining that they can provide bite-sized pastries and drinks for corporate events and individual parties.
Rai noted that Paris Baguette offers something for everyone, from coffee to fresh smoothies. The European feel is cozy and inviting, whether you’re gathering or grabbing something to go.
Additionally, Rai noted that he looks forward to working with the communities in each location, incorporating events such as baking classes for children and adults.
Rai’s first of four locations will be off Stacy Road at the entrance of the Allen Premium Outlets. Construction will begin no later than the first part of May, with an anticipated opening 3-4 months after construction begins. Hours of operation will be from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The remaining three locations Rai will be opening are in Mansfield, Arlington, and McKinney.
“You can have the same quality pastry experience that you had in France at Paris Baguette. We can give everyone this joy and quality,” said Rai.
