Paris Baguette, a 4,000-plus-unit global bakery-café concept nearing 150 cafes in the US alone, has announced Eric Lavinder as its new chief development officer. Prior to joining Paris Baguette, Lavinder was the chief development officer for Duck Donuts and before that, WOWorks.

“I am thrilled to have joined the Paris Baguette Team. This is an incredible brand with amazing growth and a strong future trajectory. The expertly crafted baked goods and made to order beverages are made with only the finest and freshest ingredients,” Lavinder says. “This is an exciting opportunity to be part of the Paris Baguette brand at such a key inflection point in the North American growth.”

As he supports Paris Baguette in reaching its goal of 1,000 US units by 2030, Lavinder acknowledges the challenging goal ahead of the system but says that the business is set up well for the feat.

“More importantly, the challenge is part of what makes the task so exciting,” he says, “and there is a network of passionate franchisees and corporate leaders standing behind the Paris Baguette name and its growth goals. Having passion, being excited and loving what you do, as well as building a great team and culture are all very important to me. When you love what you do and can bring the passion, the excitement, the energy and the right people in the right places, and you can all get them functioning and working together, you're unstoppable.”