WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. -- September 01, 2026 -- Paris Baguette opens its newest bakery café at 5150 Main St., No. 200, in Williamsville on Aug. 31, bringing the chain's pastries, cakes, breads and coffee drinks to the Buffalo area for the first time. The location is owned and operated by franchisees Ivan Shen and Jing Zhang, cousins who grew up visiting Paris Baguette cafés in New York City. Their new shop marks the brand's first presence near Buffalo and its second in upstate New York.

Shen and Zhang spent much of their lives in New York City, where Paris Baguette became part of their daily routine. During regular trips to see family in the Buffalo area, they noticed the city's growing energy and tight-knit community, but felt something was missing: the neighborhood bakery café experience they had come to rely on back home.

Cousins turn a personal habit into a local business

Shen said the decision to bring the brand to Buffalo came from memory and connection, describing the New York café routine as something he wanted his family and the Williamsville community to share. He said the new space is meant to give neighbors a place to slow down over freshly made food.

The Williamsville café adds to a chain that now counts more than 4,000 locations worldwide and over 300 bakery cafés across North America. Paris Baguette has set a goal of reaching 1,000 U.S. and Canada locations by 2030, expanding largely through franchise partnerships with local operators rather than corporate-run stores.

Buffalo becomes the latest stop in a broader U.S. push

Darren Tipton, Chief Executive Officer of Paris Baguette, said the company is working to make the neighborhood bakery café a community fixture across the U.S. and pointed to Shen and Zhang as an example of that approach taking hold in a new market.

For Williamsville residents, the opening means a new option for morning coffee runs, afternoon pastry pickups or birthday cake orders without a drive into the city. The café joins a growing list of Paris Baguette locations opening this year as the company works toward its 2030 target.