Growth is a Piece of Cake for These Bakeries

Bakery chains from Asia—especially South Korea and Taiwan—are quickly expanding on a global scale, including in the U.S. Their combination of Asian and western (typically French) baked delicacies, made on-site daily, along with a range of hand-crafted beverages, appeals to the global Asian diaspora as well as a wide spectrum of western consumers. 

These shops are increasingly becoming players in collaborations with licensed IPs, as well, teaming with Asian- and western-rooted characters, flavor-based partners, sports properties, and more. Following is a snapshot of the three major players: 

• Tous Les Jours. Headquartered in South Korea, this brand offers more than 300 different pastries, cakes, and desserts. It has 1,700-plus stores worldwide, with more than 100 of those in the U.S, where it debuted in 2004. The chain reached Franchise Times’ list of the 500 largest franchised chains in 2022, debuting at number 122. As for collaborations, it is partnering with Pinkfong this fall for an exclusive Baby Shark cake collection in select U.S. markets. It also offered a range of 25 holiday cakes featuring the Korean lifestyle brand Wiggle Wiggle across North America last December, and created a cake tied to Innersloth’s online multiplayer game Among Us in 2022. 

• Paris Baguette. Another bakery operator with South Korean origins, Paris Baguette opened in the U.S. in 2005, 17 years after its South Korean launch. It currently has more than 170 U.S. stores and expects to have 1,000 by 2030; its global footprint extends to 4,500 shops, with about 80% of those in South Korea. The company hit number 133 on Technomic’s Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report this year as one of the fastest-growing chains of its kind. In addition to Asian and western baked goods, it sells sandwiches and salads. U.S. sales hit $353.4 million in 2023 and were up 38.5% from 2022, while its U.S. store count grew 31.4% that year. In early 2024, Paris Baguette partnered with Nutella for a line of pastries, cakes, and coffees, and just this month its Korean bakeries announced they were offering a Haribo jelly cake. It also collaborated with artist Matt Chessco for limited-edition reusable cups and has a marketing partnership with the Paris Saint Germain football club. 

• 85^o C. This bakery chain—named for the perfect brewing temperature for espresso coffee—is based in Taiwan and has been in the U.S. since 2008, just five years after its 2003 debut in its home country. The brand currently has 1,000 locations worldwide and about 80 in the U.S., in California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Hawaii, and Arizona. Unlike the two larger Asian bakeries, 85^o C has not been much of a participant in licensed collaborations to date. 

The increase in Asian bakeries in the west is part of a broader trend in which eateries headquartered in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and other Asian countries are expanding globally and often becoming partners with licensed properties in western territories as well as in Asia. Examples include sushi shops and ramen restaurants, matcha cafés, mochi ice cream purveyors, boba tea chains, and more.