Michel's Patisserie is an Australian chain of bakery-style food

outlets Outlet may refer to: * Outlet, a river that runs out of a lake * Electrical outlet * Outlet store or outlet mall * Pelvic outlet * News outlet, news media Other * ''Outlet'' (Antigua newspaper) * "Outlet" (song), by the American rapper Designer ...

selling cakes, pies, savouries and coffees. The company is a franchise system that was founded in 1988 and has over 90 retail outlets in all Australian states and territories except for

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

and

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. The chain employs approximately 4,000 staff and serves approximately 36 million cups of coffee and 9.5 million slices of cake each year. It is the largest pastry chain in Australia. In 2016, Michel's Patisserie Toronto was judged to be National Retail Association Supreme Retailer of the Year. The Michel's Patisserie franchise network is owned and managed by Retail Food Group (RFG), which also manages Gloria Jeans Coffee, Brumby's Bakeries and

Donut King Donut King is an Australian multinational doughnut company and quick service restaurant. It specialises in Australian-style doughnuts and coffee. Signature menu items include hot cinnamon donuts, quakeshakes, thickshakes, milkshakes and bari ...

. In February 2025, RFG announced the remaining 19 stores would be closed or converted to Gloria Jeans Coffee or Donut King locations, ending the 45 years of operation.

History

Michel's Patisserie was founded by Noel Carroll and Noel Roberts in 1988. Their business model involves a central bakery that bakes products and distributes the products to outlets on a daily basis. The retail outlets act as points of sale, from where customers may purchase the products on display. After two years of research into all facets of the concept, distribution, store design and layout, marketing and training, the model was tested under full market conditions in stores located in

Castlecrag Castlecrag is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 8 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Willoughby. Castlecrag is ...

and Newport before being launched as a franchise in 1990. The franchise reportedly won the 2007 Churner of the year award. In February 2006, Michel's Patisserie conducted a management buyout and merged with its master franchisee in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

to create a single national franchise business. The original Michel's Patisserie was started in Sydney by French chef Michel Cattoen and his wife Elisabeth in 1980.

Controversy

In December 2022, the

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the chief competition regulator of the Government of Australia, located within the Department of the Treasury. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Tra ...

won a civil court case against RFG resulting in Michel's Patisserie and Gloria Jean's franchises receiving repayments and debt erasures totalling $10 million as part of a settlement relating to allegedly illegitimate marketing expenses and allegedly being sold loss-making shops.

References

External links

* {{Food chains in Australia Bakeries of Australia Bakery cafés Coffeehouses and cafés in Australia Restaurant franchises Companies based in Sydney Food and drink companies established in 1988 1988 establishments in Australia

History

Controversy

See also

References

External links