As the story goes, a group of friends decided to sell macarons in 2012 in New York City. At their first few events, their macarons were “wildly popular,” says franchise owner Eric Hooper. “And they looked at each other and said, ‘Woops! We made a business.’”
That’s where Woops! Bakeshop gets its silly name.
The franchise has grown to about 50 locations across the United States. The first in Dallas-Fort Worth opened Jan. 24, 2020 at Galleria Dallas. It’s located near the ice rink on the bottom floor of the mall.
Woops! started as strictly a macaron business, where its owners would sell the French meringue-based cookies filled with ganache or jam. The menu has since expanded to include Liège waffles, feta and olive rugelach, chocolate croissants, cookies and more.
The shop also sells espresso drinks. At some of the other Woops! shops, like in New York, coffee sales make up half of the sales.
The company moved its bakery to Belgium last year — even though they don’t operate any Woops! shops in that country. All of the delicate macarons are made overseas, then frozen and shipped to shops around the United States. Hooper says the move offered the company a larger baking space with a better result.
“We could get better product and make a better macaron in Belgium,” he says.
Hooper, a Bedford resident, came into the business from an unexpected place: He’s a furloughed freight train conductor who worked for Union Pacific. While on leave, he looked for a franchise to operate.
He has never run a bakery — or even made macarons at home.
“Eating them was my experience with this dessert,” he says.
His family and friends were shocked at his new business choice. “It was a completely different route,” he says, and not only because it’s a departure from the train business: “I thought I wanted to open a pizza parlor.” He was talked out of that business model after meetings with FranNet, a company that matches people with franchise businesses.
Woops! is planning special macaron flavors for Valentine’s Day such as chocolate-strawberry and coconut-caramel. It also sells special gift boxes, for an upcharge, that say things like “I love you to the macaron and back” and “Just because.”
Macarons cost $2.70 per cookie, $15 for six or $28 for 12.
Dallas has seen a boom in macaron shops in the past few years. Some locally owned companies include Joy Macarons, Chelles Macarons, Haute Sweets Patisserie and Bisous Bisous Pâtisserie. A franchise called Le Macaron announced in October 2019 its ambitions for a 12-store expansion in North Texas.
Woops! Bakeshop is at 13350 Dallas Parkway (on the ice-rink level of Galleria Dallas), Dallas.
