Monday, April 10, 2023

Rant: A Hunger For Bakeries?

Is there a deep hunger for bakeries? Are consumers especially eager for light and flaky croissants, sweet cinnamon rolls, and crispy coconut macaroons? It certainly seems so based on some recent experiences.

I recently stopped at the Lakon Paris Patisserie in Brookline and thoroughly enjoyed their Ham & Cheese Croissant and Coconut Macaroons. It happened to be their opening day, and as I expected, most of their baked goods were gone by the early afternoon. I actually expected them to have sold out even sooner. 

As I enjoyed their baked goods so much, I decided to check out their original location in Newton. I stopped there on a Friday morning at 9am, and there was a short line. They had opened at 7am, and by the time I arrived, they were extremely low on their croissants and other baked goods. And by 9:30am, they were nearly sold out, and they were scheduled to remain open until 3pm. 

Lakon Paris has received much media attention lately, so that might be part of the reason for its immense popularity.  Their baked goods are damn good, so that is also an important reason for its popularity. However, I didn't expect they would be nearly sold out by only 9:30am. If you had stopped there at lunch time, you were probably too late.

I've also visited Colette's Bakery, in Melrose, numerous times and often by noon, especially on the weekends, they have a very limited amount of baked goods left for sale. And they are open to 4pm! It's common to see a short line outside the door waiting to get in. People love their croissants, quiche, chouquettes, breads, apple turnovers and more. It certainly hasn't garnered the same amount of media attention as Lakon Paris, but locals are well aware of its existence. 

The lesson appears to be that you need to arrive early at these bakeries if you want the best selection, and sometimes a selection at all. Or maybe you could call them and put in an order that you could pick up later. It may not be easy to obtain these delicious baked goods, but it's worth the effort.  

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