Paris Baguette, the global bakery café franchise with over 4,000 locations around the world and its North American headquarters in Moonachie, marked its most successful year to date with plans for additional locations.
With 77 new bakery cafés opened, including 14 in December, 101 leases signed and nearly 300 development agreements signed, the company continues its plans for 1,000-plus North American locations by 2030.
The brand was ranked No. 29 on Entrepreneur’s 2026 Franchise 500, earning the No. 1 spot in the bakery café category, a significant jump from No. 42 overall the previous year.
It was also recognized on the Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurants Report, ranking No. 112 and climbing more than 20 positions year-over-year, underscoring the brand’s sustained sales growth, operational strength and expanding footprint across North America.
In late 2025, Paris Baguette appointed Zac Sulma as chief operating officer, bringing extensive hospitality and multiunit leadership experience to support the franchise’s scalable growth.
In his role, Sulma will focus on enhancing operational processes and strengthening franchisee support across the system.
“Reflecting on the past year, it’s clear that, while we’re opening doors, we’re also building the heart of the community,” said CEO Darren Tipton.
“Reaching nearly 80 new café openings and celebrating our 250th location were two major wins for us, but I’m especially proud of our people. All of our successes are a result of the people behind Paris Baguette, and they prove that we’re operating with more heart and focus than ever before.
“We head into 2026 from a position of incredible strength, supported by an enhanced infrastructure and a pipeline that shows no signs of slowing down.”
Paris Baguette is on track to open its 400th North American bakery café this year, a result of 150 planned openings. It includes expansion into 10 new U.S. states, Canadian provinces and territories.
