Preview: Asian bakery giant debuts first U.S. cafe Friday in O.C.

September 25th, 2008, 3:45 am · 9 Comments · posted by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer

85 C's Chocolate Angel Roll sells for $2.60

Get ready to have your socks knocked off.

I hit a special private preview of 85 C Bakery Cafe in Irvine on Wednesday afternoon, and I have to say my first impression is: Wow.

This place is so refreshingly unique, it’s hard to compare it to any dessert or cafe shop I’ve ever been to. The Asian cafe chain, which opens its first American location in Irvine on Friday, has been referred to as the “Starbucks of Taiwan” because of its brand recognition in its home country.

But that’s where the comparisons end.

Sorry, Starbucks. But you are no 85 C.

You can order at the counter, or self-serve like a panaderia

Here’s what I learned during my visit:

- The cafe, which specializes in gourmet pastries and coffee, opens Friday at 7 a.m. at the Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center in Irvine. (corner of Alton Parkway at Jamboree Road.) No doubt, I expect a line before it opens.

- On a daily basis, the cafe will offer 67 kinds of breads and 50 cake varieties. “I’ve gained 10 pounds in two months,” said a cafe employee who has tried the entire menu during her training.

- Prices are cheap, ranging from 60 cents for a small Danish pastry to $2.60 for a fancier Chocolate Angel Roll. (see images for more details)

- Don’t expect light coffee in this place. Stephanie Peng, the operations manager, said 85 C offers only espresso drinks. So if you order a standard cup of “drip” coffee, you get pure real espresso, she says.

- A portion of the bakery reminded me of a fancy version of a Mexican panaderia, where you use tongs and trays to grab baked goods. You can also order cakes and other desserts at the takeout counter. Pastries and breads are made fresh daily. Everything I tried was amazing.

_ 85 C sells more than just desserts. The Irvine cafe developed a line of upscale sandwiches (see below) and salads for its American customers. (Apparently “cold” lunch dishes are not popular in Taiwan, Peng says.) The sandwiches, which come with choice of Ciabatta or Baguette, include standard classics: roast beef, turkey, ham and tuna.

- Caesar the Great is 85 C’s No. 1 seller. The savory bruschetta-like appetizer (shown below) is toasted bread topped with lettuce, chicken, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Cost: $1.60.

- Note to anyone who has tried the 85 C in Taiwan: Peng told me the dessert recipes at the Irvine cafe have been tweaked so they taste sweeter than the ones in in Taiwan. Why? Americans seem to like sweeter pastries, she says. Still, nothing I tasted was too heavy on the sugar.

– Also unique to the first American location: cupcakes! “We had to have cupcakes,” Peng says.

List of other retailers opening at the Asian mall in Irvine.

More 85 C photos below. Click on any to enlarge:

85 C Sandwiches

All to-go goods are wrapped in cool packaging like this.

85 C Operations Manager Stephanie Peng holds an iced coffee. Note the vacuum sealed tops. All you have to do is "punch" a straw in it, and drink.

This savory appetizer is the chain's top seller.

Caesar the Great: This savory appetizer is the chain's No. 1 seller. Cost: $1.60 for a portion double the size of the sample shown above.

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Linda says:

September 25, 2008 at 8:27 am

This…place…looks…amazing! I can’t wait to go.

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Elise says:

September 25, 2008 at 8:39 am

I hope this is not just a dream! I will be stopping by to check out as soon as I can. I am always up for trying a new place that sells cupcakes!

mike says:

September 25, 2008 at 11:10 am

Nancy this place looks so unique. I can’t wait to try it.

JohnB says:

September 25, 2008 at 4:38 pm

Sweeter… makes me sad.

I hope they aren’t the overly sweet bland pastry we get in most American bakeries where everything tastes the same, just different shapes.

September 26, 2008 at 8:37 am

I visited this place last night. It was really packed, the line was huge to get in. Unfortunately, i didn’t have time to wait but the offerings looked really good. Appeared like they were handing out free samples cause everyone in line had a little cup and plate. One of the workers came out and mentioned something about a 50% discount for the grand opening week. Not sure what the details were.

kelli Y. says:

September 28, 2008 at 1:49 pm

Its promotional flyer says” 15% discount for cakes and breads from Sep.26 to Oct.2. “….

David says:

October 1, 2008 at 4:20 pm

This place has struck out with me on two out of two occasions so far. The service is unbelievably bad, which is surprising considering how many people are always behind the counter.

First time I went there, I waited 20 minutes for a simple milk tea drink with tapioca. I had to wait 15 minutes before an employee told me there was no tapioca, and another 5 minutes after I said I would take it plain. That same night, I went back and endured a second round of incompetence, spending 45 minutes in there before I finally got my order. On the second visit, it took awhile just to pay for the items I grabbed from the self serve area, and then the rest of the time was spent waiting for the desserts I ordered. After finally asking about my order, I was apologized to when it became apparent that my order was never put into their queue to be pulled. On top of that, I had to point out what items I ordered, because simply reading my receipt to figure out my order was more than the employee could handle.

Andie says:

November 27, 2008 at 10:31 am

Their breads are really tasty but using the tray without any wax paper or protect sheet makes me not going there anymore. They said their trays are clean but putting breads on the tray without any sheet makes me sick.

Peter says:

June 9, 2009 at 3:47 pm

It remains to be seen if they are viable. Having this many variety of breads/cakes/desserts will eventually lead to problems in terms of profitability. You end up with a lot of wasted product at the end of the day and eventually the franchisee starts to “recycle” yesterday’s products the next morning to save costs. Starbucks can afford to lost money at some locations to keep the overall brand appeal and growth intact but a long franchise cannot react the same.

I will stop by this place later in the week to see how they are operating several months after their US debut.