Bakehouse Has a Recipe for Success

Michaud launched Bakehouse 6 years ago

One of the few eateries in Hong Kong that is going gangbusters is Bakehouse, started by Swiss pastry chef Gregoire Michaud.

There are usually lines outside the original Wan Chai location, where young people are keen to have brunch or a sandwich along with some pastries washed down with coffee. Otherwise there's also a line for takeout, like loaves of freshly-baked sourdough bread, danishes, jam-filled donuts and the signature sourdough egg custard tart.

One fun fact is that Bakehouse sells between 18,000 to 20,000 egg tarts per day, which adds up to a whopping HK$91.25 million in annual revenue from those flaky egg tarts alone.

Even during the Covid-19 pandemic Bakehouse was busy with a 20 percent increase in business, but the bakery lost 60 percent of its wholesale business supplying bread and pastries to restaurants and hotels. Michaud had a tough time motivating staff during this period, but he just knew he had to keep going.

These days Bakehouse is extremely busy thanks to being featured in Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media platform that has touted its egg tarts. Chinese visitors can be seen posing outside the bakeries with the aforementioned egg tarts or the coveted Bakehouse blue paper bag.

Because of the flood of customers, Michaud has said recently Bakehouse will double the number of outlets by the end of 2025, as well as expanding its main kitchen in Chai Wan.

Not bad for the former executive pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hong Kong, who traded his starched white chef jacket for a blue apron and has been non-stop ever since he launched Bakehouse six years ago. He also won over locals with his decent Cantonese, making fun videos with Chinese media.

He is also looking to expand Bakehouse across the border into China in the next 18 months.

"We will start by operating with a local partner, but we will be fully involved because we do not want to lose our quality and our integrity," Michaud said. "It's Bakehouse, but we also represent Hong Kong as a brand."

It's amazing to watch Michaud succeed with his vision and endless creativity in the kitchen. He's willing to try new things and knows local tastes. 

But yes those egg tarts. In Hong Kong, you have to try them, along with a bowl of wonton noodles, congee, milk tea, pineapple bun, roast goose, dim sum...