Chip City Cookies has promoted Nicolas "Nico" Gabriel Baizan de Aldecoa to president, elevating an internal hire who joined the 39-location specialty cookie brand just eleven months ago as senior director of retail operations. The move signals that the New York-founded chain, backed by Enlightened Hospitality Investments (EHI), is betting on cultivated leadership rather than outside recruitment to drive its next stage of growth.
The Appointment
Baizan de Aldecoa's mandate centers on strengthening revenue performance and profitability across Chip City's current footprint, which spans New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Texas, and Virginia. His background is rooted in foodservice: he began his career in his family's restaurant and manufacturing businesses, later held culinary leadership roles at concepts in New York and Chicago, and spent time working with renowned chef José Andrés.
CEO Fred LeFranc, who stepped into that role earlier, credited the promotion to what he observed on the floor rather than on a résumé. "Over the past year I have watched Nico learn this business down to the bricks it is built upon," LeFranc said. "He earned the trust of the people doing the work, and he showed a willingness to be coached that is rare at any level. We did not go find a leader. We grew one, and I am proud to work beside him."
What It Means for the Brand
For multi-unit specialty bakery operators, the promotion reflects a broader pattern in restaurant leadership development where private-equity-backed emerging chains prioritize operators who understand unit-level economics before moving into the executive suite. EHI — the growth equity fund founded by Danny Meyer of Union Square Hospitality Group — has built its portfolio thesis around exactly this kind of hospitality-forward culture, and Chip City is one of its signature investments.
Paulina Orillac, vice president at EHI and a Chip City board member, noted the cultural dimension of the decision. "Watching Nico this past year, what stands out is his passion for this industry and his genuine enthusiasm for the brand," Orillac said. "The team feels it, and our guests will too."
Baizan de Aldecoa himself framed the path ahead in operational terms. "People come back to Chip City for one reason: it delivers, every time. That's not an accident — it's the standard we hold ourselves to, and it's the standard I plan to keep raising," he said.
Growth Context
Founded nine years ago in Astoria, Queens, Chip City has scaled to 39 locations — a trajectory that places it among the more ambitious single-category specialty bakery brands in the country. As consumer demand for premium, indulgent bakery and dessert concepts continues to drive traffic in competitive urban and suburban markets, the chain's focus on unit-level profitability under new leadership will be closely watched by operators and investors tracking the better-dessert segment.
For context on how emerging foodservice brands are navigating leadership transitions and equity-backed growth, Food & Beverage Magazine has covered the broader trend of hospitality-trained executives moving into C-suite roles at fast-growing concepts.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
