Paris Baguette, a bakery cafe with more than 4,000 locations around the world, is in review to build-out its announced location at St. Johns Town Center by December.
The city is reviewing a permit application for Leaders Construction Inc. to renovate a 2,552-square-foot former pizza restaurant at 4624 Town Crossing Drive, Unit 125, also considered Unit E09, at an initial estimated cost of $150,000.
Paris Baguette specializes in freshly baked cakes, pastries, quiches and bread products, and serves Lavazza coffee products.
The store will be in a strip that includes Noodles and Company, Chicken Salad Chick, Smoothie King and Cava. The space will offer indoor and outdoor seating.
The space previously was Pieology Pizzeria. Leaders Construction is from Harmony in Osceola County.
Wei Zhu of Hilton Head, South Carolina, has franchise rights for Jacksonville; Savannah, Georgia; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Indianapolis. He said in a previous interview that he is exploring the rights to Miami and other South Florida locations.
The Paris Baguette locations in Florida are in Delray Beach, Tampa, Winter Garden and Winter Park.
Zhu estimated the total build-out cost as $1.3 million.
He said previously he has been in negotiations with the Town Center for several months to be allowed to open there because of noncompete rights The Cheesecake Factory had in place.
Zhu said he is opening first in the Town Center and is looking for spaces in Jacksonville Beach and St. Johns County.
The bakery will be open from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily. A staff of six to eight bakers will start work at midnight.
“Our menu has almost 100 items. They have to start that early to be ready by seven,” he said.
Customers can dine in, take out or have Paris Baguette items delivered through DoorDash. It also caters.
The restaurant’s website shows 14 cakes as well as special holiday-themed cakes. Most cakes are available whole or by the slice.
The menu includes tarts, croissants, fruit pastries, doughnuts, croquettes, breakfast sandwiches, salads, sandwiches and wraps.
The multinational Paris Baguette chain in owned by the SPC Group and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.
Staff Writer Dan Macdonald contributed to this report