Waffle Factory Opens Its First Railway Station Store at Paris Saint-Lazare
On 10 June 2026, Waffle Factory opened its first travel retail location at Paris Saint-Lazare railway station. In addition to its stores in city centres and shopping centres, the brand is now entering a new type of location and gaining its first experience in a high-traffic transport environment.
An Offering for Travellers and Commuters
The new store is located in the station’s retail area at Cour de Rome, on platform level. Covering 88 square metres, it offers 25 seats and a menu specifically adapted to the needs of travellers, commuters and visitors.
Alongside its familiar sweet and savoury waffles, Waffle Factory has expanded its breakfast offering and introduced a wider selection of hot and cold drinks. According to the company, the new location has created eight jobs.
A New Operating Environment
A location in one of Paris’s most important railway stations presents different operational requirements from those of a traditional city-centre or shopping-centre store. Longer opening hours, peak periods around arriving and departing trains, and an international customer base all require appropriately adapted processes.
Waffle Factory is therefore also using Saint-Lazare as an operational testing ground. New products and formats can be trialled under these particular conditions, providing valuable insights into the potential of additional travel retail locations.
Experienced Franchise Partners Continue to Grow
The new store is operated by Samir and Saïda Kabach. It is already the fourth Waffle Factory location for the two entrepreneurs.
This reflects a notable trend within the network: around 80 per cent of new openings are developed by franchise partners who already operate one or more locations. Franchise partners who know the system from their daily operations therefore frequently choose to continue growing with the brand.
Waffle Factory is planning approximately ten new openings in France during 2026.
An Interesting Location Format for Germany and Austria
The opening in Paris demonstrates that Waffle Factory is suitable for a variety of location formats—from shopping centres and city-centre sites to high-traffic railway stations and transport hubs.
This flexibility also creates additional opportunities for the brand’s expansion in Germany and Austria. Careful assessment of footfall, target groups, visibility and the cost structure of each potential location remains essential.
We support Waffle Factory as its development partner for expansion in Germany and Austria—from identifying suitable franchise partners and developing locations through to opening.
Further information about available regions and franchise opportunities can be found at https://www.stardev.se/wafflefactory

