Forest Hills, Rego Park & Jamaica

Food & Drink

Forest Hills' New Paris Baguette Won't Serve Espresso Thanks To Starbucks

October 27, 2017 9:31am | Updated October 27, 2017 9:31am
Bakery-cafe franchise Paris Baguette will open its new location in Forest Hills in December, the owners said.
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Paris Baguette/Facebook

FOREST HILLS — A RadioShack that closed earlier this year after more than four decades on Continental Avenue will be replaced by the bakery-cafe Paris Baguette in December, but the neighboring Starbucks is blocking the new store from selling certain varieties of coffee, its owners said.

The South Korea-based eatery will launch its new outpost at 107-06 Continental Ave., between Queens Boulevard and Austin Street, sharing the building with vitamin store InVite Health and Starbucks.

The cafe will be run by the same couple who already operate the Rego Park Paris Baguette, which opened at 9633 Queens Blvd. in February.

One of the owners, Tina Ma, said she is not concerned about competition, because other Forest Hills bakeries such as Martha’s and La Boulangerie offer entirely different menus.

Ma said she decided to open the new outpost after the Rego Park location turned out to be so successful. 

“We have a lot of customers coming from Forest Hills to Rego Park,” Ma said. “And they always ask us, 'When are you going to open one in Forest Hills so that we don’t have to travel to Rego Park?'

"Forest Hills has a lot more traffic than Rego Park," she added.

The menu at the Forest Hills location will be almost the same as at other outposts and will include a variety of pastries, bread, soups and sandwiches. 

The only difference, Ma said, is that it won’t serve any espresso-based drinks because the neighboring Starbucks put a clause in its lease that blocks other restaurants in the building from offering such products, Ma said. 

The bakery will be able to sell regular coffee though, Ma noted.

Photo: DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska

A spokeswoman for Starbucks said in an email Thursday that their store on Continental Avenue has served the community for over 10 years, and it's "one of many coffee options that customers can choose from in the neighborhood."

"As with all of our locations, we work with our landlords to determine what makes the most sense for our stores," she added.

READ MORE: 'Arepa Lady' Moves to New Space but Starbucks Blocks it From Selling Coffee

Paris Baguette, which first opened as Paris Croissant in 1945, currently has four locations in Queens. In addition to the Rego Park one, there are also two Paris Baguette bakeries in Bayside and one in Flushing, according to the company’s website. 

The Forest Hills location is scheduled to open on Dec. 22, the owners said.

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