Laura Molinar, 21, owns PanPan Bakery and Cafe, which has gained publicity on social media. PanPan offers a mix of Mexican-Japanese desserts and drinks.
By the time Laura Molinar arrives at PanPan Bakery and Cafe, she has been up almost all night researching how to adapt to the business’s skyrocketing attention.
Molinar’s bakery on Roosevelt Drive in Dalworthington Gardens, Texas, about four miles from UTA, sees hundreds of customers line up around the building waiting for Mexican-Japanese fusion desserts such as milk bread conchas, salted butter rolls and horchata matcha — on a weekday.
The success didn’t come overnight.
Laura Molinar, owner of PanPan Bakery and Cafe, greets customers as they wait outside before the store opens Aug. 16 in Dalworthington Gardens, Texas. PanPan is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day except Sundays.
PanPan Bakery and Cafe opened a year ago Sunday, but Molinar’s videos on social media documenting daily work and promoting products have propelled the business to new heights.
A TikTok explaining PanPan’s decoration and products — also explaining that pan means bread in both Japanese and Spanish — has been viewed more than 17 million times since it was posted in early August.
“I was already kind of settling into the flow of things, but now this explosion of new people has kind of resparked something in me for sure,” Molinar said. “A lot of inspiration.”
To handle the newly found fame, bakers arrive at 3:30 a.m. to prepare about 800 loaves of bread for the morning sales.
They don’t leave until around 11 a.m.
Customers wait in line for their orders to be packed Aug. 16 at PanPan Bakery and Cafe. The line often overflows outside the bakery when the store opens.
“Our day is making bread, making bread and making bread,” said Andrew Wolgast, a barista and baker at the store.
Molinar works at the bar or in the kitchen throughout the day depending on needs. She arrives early in the morning to check the prep work and whether the bakery will be set for the next day.
“If people are coming from far away, people coming from Georgia, they’re coming from Tennessee, they’re coming from California, they’re coming from Korea, and they deserve the utmost service,” Molinar said.
Grand Prairie, Texas, residents Brando Alvarado, 28, left, and Cynthia Alvarado, 29, grab baked goods Aug. 16 at PanPan Bakery and Cafe. The Alvarados said it was their first time coming to the bakery.
PanPan provides customers waiting in line with water and umbrellas to combat the Texas summer heat. Molinar also greets customers throughout the day, she said.
“They do take that valuable time out of their day, spend their hard-earned money to support my business directly. It only feels right that I go up to them directly and thank them for it,” she said.
While the store typically closes at 3 p.m., Molinar serves customers who are in line by closing time.
That means two extra hours of work.
A tray of baked goods sits on a counter Aug. 16 at PanPan Bakery and Cafe. The bakery sells drinks, including matcha.
By the time UTA alumna Jaqueline Reca sits down and tastes the Mexican chorizo stuffed in Japanese milk bread, she has waited in line for more than an hour. She visited PanPan after seeing the place on social media.
Reca takes a bite, nods and wiggles in enjoyment.
“It’s worth the wait,” she said.
Molinar credits the inspiration for Mexican-Japanese fusion to anime being a huge part of Mexican culture and to her background growing up in Los Angeles, where she learned to enjoy different cuisines.
A keychain of the PanPan Bakery and Cafe logo hangs at the PanPan Bakery and Cafe on Aug. 16. The bakery also sells toys and collectibles.
At PanPan, the matcha is sourced straight from Japan, Molinar said, and the coffee beans come from Mexico.
As their beverages arrived, Fort Worth residents Sarahy Meza and Ashley Perez didn’t forget to snap photos before taking a sip.
“Wait, that’s really good!” Perez said as she enjoyed a banana cream matcha.
Meza dubbed Perez the “matcha queen” and said her friend convinced her to try matcha at different places. They waited at PanPan for over an hour but are happy that they live nearby.
Customers line up outside the door before PanPan Bakery and Cafe opens Aug. 16 in Dalworthington Gardens, Texas. Customers were provided with umbrellas to shield them from the sun.
“We drive far, far for matcha, so knowing that this is close, we’re going to be here every day for real,” she said.
Molinar enjoys seeing people wrapped around the block for her desserts, she said. Her plans for PanPan include extending its hours and growing beyond one location.
But dreaming can wait. It’s time to open, and her second group of bakers has arrived. Her baristas arrived about an hour ago.
She opens the door at 9 a.m. The line of patrons stretches around the block, and they’re ready for pan.
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