Little France Coffee & Bakery has expanded its footprint, to double its retail space within College Center in Mission Viejo, CA. Close to The Shops at Mission Viejo, Little France ranks #13 in Yelp’s Top 100 US Restaurants 2023. This is a huge accomplishment for restaurant owner Shahin Joudat who opened the cafe to showcase pastry chef Lionel Touya’s skills. Originally from Cognac, France, the pastry chef uses ingredients and techniques learned while working in his father’s pastry shop, and by winning pastry competitions across France.

ValueRock owns College Center where Little France is a tenant. The shopping center is situated directly across from Saddleback College and near the prestigious Mission Hospital, which is currently the largest hospital in Orange County. Little France is situated amongst a great mix of well-known and long-term tenants like the Vitamin Shoppe, Ding Tea, Lava BBQ, and Roger Dunn Golf Shops to name a few. It benefits from a signalized entrance with easy access into the center from Marguerite Parkway (main artery road).

“At ValueRock, we discuss the tenant’s business idea and evaluate the potential success,” says Ralph Ongkeko, Director of Leasing. “We believed that with Mr. Shahin Joudat running the operation and Lionel in charge of the production, the tenant would be successful.” Today, Little France has a huge loyal customer base. They expanded the store to increase seating capacity and a bigger kitchen. They also plan to expand and open up different branches all around south OC.