(Image: The French Guys)

The French Guys bakery shop is beginning its second year on Capitol Hill with a new baking facility, new menu, and Pride croissants available every weekend at the E Roy counter and cafe.

Making room for the right mix of fresh daily offerings has been part of the learning that has taken place over the first year of business for The French Guys in a brick and mortar location on Capitol Hill after growing as Seattle’s first mobile French bakery.

“The store is tiny and there is not a lot of space so we need to be creative for that, Thibault Beaugende said.

Beaugende also says The French Guys still love their E Roy home in the historic Loveless Building.

“The building speaks for itself,” Beaugende says. “It’s really rare to find in Seattle… the European charm.”

The Loveless will turn 100 next year but The French Guys shop is now one year old — and counting. The second year of business comes with major growth for The French Guys as owners Beaugende and Renaud Lacipiere have moved into a larger, much improved new baking facility. The new space brings new opportunities to grow their baked creations they continue to deliver to cafes and restaurants, as well as supplying its popular presence at Seattle farmers markets and the Capitol Hill bakery shop.

(Image: The French Guys)

CHS reported here on the spring 2023 opening of The French Guys on Capitol Hill with piles of fresh baked canelé, croissants, brioches, and baguettes. At the time, The French Guys were steering away from fancy sweets and desserts.

Times have changed.

As the shop begins a second year on Capitol Hill, The French Guys is rolling out a brand new, authentic French style patisserie menu complete with macarons, eclairs, Paris/brest, tarte citron, millefeuille, choux galore.

Beaugende says this addition of deserts is being bolstered by a new pastry chef joining the team to help them craft a true pâtisserie menu featuring elaborate and refined sweet treats.

Beaugende says the changes also mean new developments for their savory and lunch menu.

First, they need to find room for everything.

The next step for The French Guys will move them beyond the hometown bakery Beaugende remembers — “Half of this size, bake what you sell. You go here, smell the bread, buy the bread. You do that every morning. My dad did that.”

For the Capitol Hill bakery shop to truly take off, Beaugende and Lacipiere realized they needed to adapt and additions like a full coffee menu were essential.

“I knew it was a mistake, Seattle’s a coffee city.” jokes Beaugende. 

Inside the new baking facility (Image: The French Guys)

A year later, business has grown and the new baking facility has opened new opportunities.

“The fantastic in-store team has helped immensely.” Beaugende says. Chit chat is encouraged at checkout, and employees regularly engage with their customers and ask for advice on improvements. This has allowed Thibault and Renaud to focus on production and other projects for the company.

The French Guys are growing. They aim to participate in more farmers markets, targeting six per week, and remain committed to maintaining their roots while reaching new customers. “The farmers market community has been essential to our growth. It’s where we started, and we want to keep that connection strong,” says Beaugende.

In addition to market expansion, French Guys is extending their summer hours along with the new offerings.

Beaugende says adaptability to customer feedback has been an important part of this business journey, and part of the reason he thinks the Capitol Hill location has flourished.

“Our customers have been our biggest supporters and our best critics. We want to continue involving them in our journey, listening to their suggestions, and making improvements based on their feedback,” Beaugende said.

Looking ahead, Beaugende and Lacipiere hope to deepen their connection with the community by organizing events and becoming a neighborhood institution for croissants and coffee, much like the iconic Joe Bar that preceded them.

“Capitol Hill is the perfect spot for us. It’s vibrant, young, and open to new experiences,” Beaugende said. “We want to be a place where people come to enjoy great pastries and feel part of a community.”

The French Guys is located at 810 E Roy. Learn more at thefrenchguys.com.

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