Paris Baguette Bakery Cafe looks pretty close to opening at 4925 Fairmont Avenue in the Sophia Bethesda apartment tower. The shelves and cases are still empty. Light fixtures and counter equipment are in place. The French-Korean bakery serves a variety of items besides baked goods, including hot lunch and snacks like tiny pizzas and pigs-in-a-blanket, and coffee and tea beverages. There's even a whole line of donuts, including cronuts and mochi donuts.
17 comments:
Again. A French/Korean bakery is not going to fly mainly because it confuses people as to what kind of place this is. That's a fusion that doesn't exist. That's not a thing. They can create that and that's fine but don't be surprised when it doesn't do well. Lastly, they are going to have one heck of a hill to climb as there are already several legit French bakeries, etc in town. Is there an open lane for this? Probably not. But good luck.
Paris Baguette has 4,000 locations worldwide, 225 in 25 states, with 15 in the greater DMV area. Tous les Jour, which is also a similar concept, has 16 locations in the greater DMV area. The concept is clearly a thing. Just because you are not familiar with it does not mean it is not a thing. While Paris Baguette has traditional French bakery offerings, they also have unique offerings, which you would have seen by taking a cursory look at their website. Their target audience are Asians, whom will hands down go to Paris Baguette before Fresh Baguette, the only legit French bakery in Bethesda. And yes, there is enough of an Asian population in Bethesda (both residents and office workers) to support this. You are entitled to your opinion, but I have more faith in the success of the location from the franchisee as they own the other locations in Montgomery County, did the due diligence, and invested money in this location, as opposed to the opinions of a random commenter on the internet.
There’s barely anything Korean or fusion items on the menu. Seems it’s just a Korean franchise that serves French pastries, did well in Korea, and is expanding in the US. It would have been more interesting, in my opinion, if this was a Korean pastry chain, but for now will unfortunately have to settle for more French pastries in Bethesda…
JAC is not some random commenter on the internet. He is a highly opinionated, conservative, and often outspoken voice of Bethesda. I usually don’t agree with his opinions, but this guy certainly has bonafides on this forum.
5:19 - Their due diligence has led this company to believe that there's sufficient Asian population in Bethesda to support this? Been here all my life and while there is certainly diversity of cultures, I would disagree strongly that the downtown Bethesda area has enough Asian folks that would be excited about this. It makes no difference that this place has many locations. You can't have a "French" bakery that serves Korean fare. That would be like a great burger joint that sold German food. Sorry but that's a big pass. The public will not come back once they walk in the front door and see the Korean side of the place and that's a fact. And as was mentioned, there's are already authentic French places in town owned and operated by French people. A very tough sled indeed.
Seems someone got their feelings hurt 🙄. If you can't stand the heat, don't start the fire 🔥.
Original post here is by the same person who, a year ago, was quick to predict (before Ruta even opened) that there was no market for Ukrainian food in Bethesda. Almost a year later, that restaurant (4862 Cordell Avenue) is still here. So, I'd take anything from that person with a grain of salt (heh).
Since when did "highly opinionated, conservative, and often outspoken" establish someone's "bona fides"?
JAC please take a look at their menu, there are (unfortunately) no Korean items, just more of the same French pastries. Maybe the only positive of this, is there is an indication of some foreign investment coming to Bethesda since no major companies are setting up shop here. The only pastry / bakery that I am excited about these days is Rosetta’s (Italian) which is the best food news I’ve heard in a long time. Hope others follow-suit and actually try bringing something new.
As of 2023, 12.5% of Bethesda's population is Asian. 20% of the employees at the NIH are Asian. But we're not in a world where we support opinions with data, it is a world where we support opinions with anecdotal experiences. Ultimately, Paris Baguette is a bakery with some classic French offerings. It is not a French bakery. But, yes, please pass, and no, you do not represent the totality of the general public as much as the administration wants you to believe that. Just out of curiosity, what are the other French bakeries in Bethesda other than Fresh Baguette? Mamman? Mamman is more of a sit-down cafe, than a grab-and-go bakery.
12:07 - Well, the sad reality is chains are the only ones who can afford the rent and costs to build out and open. Large corporation, many locations, etc means nothing. This is a dumb idea and won't work here. Sorry. Plenty of legit French pastry and the like and succeeding thankfully.
12:19 - Those are small numbers. You proved my point, one. Two, Tout de Sweet is abolutely fabulous across the board. Report back here when this place doesn't make it
Robert, why do you characterize Paris Bagette as French-Korean? Tell me what’s Korean about it? It gave JAC fits who is too lazy to do his own research.
Those characteristic surely aren't representative of the majority voices of Bethesda, especially the conservative aspect. ICYMI his opinion is in a minority group.
8:35: There are only a handful of items on the vast menu that would be considered Asian, much less Korean. However, the chain is South Korean, and headquartered in Seoul. The reason I have characterized it as "French-Korean" is that I was reprimanded after describing it as a "French bakery" in my early reports, and was told I must refer to it as "French-Korean." Perhaps I was correct the first time!
What are those small numbers relative to? New York City, where the Asian population is 15.6%? Or the United States, where it is 6%? Paris Baguette in Rockville is thriving, where the Asian population is 21.4%, but there is a lot more competitors. Not sure how I proved your point, but if all you are going with is opinion and anecdotes, I understand why the internet is your forum of choice. I guess I typically do not consider 2 places as being several. You would have had a better argument punting on the spefecity of a French bakery and said there are dozens of places in Bethesda that sell French classics such as croissants. Report back to me when they open locations in North Bethesda and Friendship Heights as well.
So, what is a Korean item that you would expect from a Korean bakery?
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