MatiArg said:
Hey French Jurist,
A friend of mine from France was asking me about moving here and setting up a French Bakery. I told her that there are so many bakeries, however i am not familiar with what other pastries french bakeries have. Ignoring all the hassles, laws, etc to start a business here, do you think that its not worth to compete with all existing bakeries or that is would be a good idea?
I think there's a true market for a real French bakery here : it's very tricky to find a very good "baguette" for instance (crispy on the outside, tender like a cotton's dream on the inside).
Also, good "croissants au beurre" & "pains au chocolat" would sell easily.
Same with pastry, people might get bored with the local cakes (like thicks, with 2 kilos of dulce de leche, etc).
Some French pastries are really easy to make & taste great (like this "fraisier" I made while taking lessons at Gato Dumas from Olivier Falchi -Chief of Le Sud).
In BA, there are not that many French bakeries (real ones, offering the real French stuff) : L'épi, a cooking school on Paraguay (they used to sell, and still might sell, real baguettes/croissants), and a few others.
Same with French restaurants in BA, I'm surprised there are so few (Christophe, from Chez Christophe, closed his not long ago).
Maybe 20 real French restaurants for a city like BA = there's room for competition.
Tell your friend to contact me (either send me a PM with her email address, or I send you mine via PM), I'll be happy to help her (furthermore Food & cooking is one of my biggest hobby. I'd also like to open a French restaurant but I lack the free time to do so).
If I was her, I would do it but depending on her financial abilities, less mistakes she'll make, better.
She also can start from home, doing deliveries, for the first year. That would be a logical process.