Bonjour Bakery (2026)

The production team expected the elders to be the main characters, but they just weren't that interesting, and why should they be when they just want to try some dessert and go home. The elders were supposed to be the main stars, but they just seemed to come, eat, and leave. The chats they had with each other were so boring to watch, which you'd kind of expect if you stuck a surveillance camera to a cafe. There's a reason you need scripts, games, and objectives in variety shows since it isn't supposed to be a documentary.

I think the setup of locking two main cast members in the kitchen for the entirety of the show was not only evil with the amount of work they did and had to do for preparations, but it meant that was the only thing they did in the show. They should have just left a main pastry chef in the show to help them. Cha Seung-won baked everything, I couldn't imagine how stressful and tired he was every day on top of cooking lunch for them. Lee Ki-taek didn't seem not familiar with cooking or baking really, so he was practically invisible in the show except making breakfast.

With the hall team, Kim Hee-ae as the manager seemed incapable of the duties of a server let alone that of a manager to the point where she made multiple mistakes in one day. She's quite well known among the elders which I assume is why she was casted, but she seemed incapable of connecting with them since she's reserved. Kim Seon-ho is outgoing and the best casting since he was good at using the register, taking orders, making coffee, and also good at communicating, it probably would've been better if he was the manager and paired with someone younger like Dino or Lee Joo-bin. But in general, as much as Kim Seon-ho and Kim Hee-ae tried to connect with the elders, the entire layout of the show is quite awkward. There would have been no difference to the show if the entire cast be replaced by actual cafe workers.

As many complaints I have for this show, I could see the sincerity of everyone involved. The kitchen team studied for four months to be able to make the complicated pastries themselves, and they were so dedicated during the entire shoot. The production team actually believed in making a genuine show without adding extra drama, and they believed in showcasing the elders just as they are. And despite the show being more on the boring side, you could feel how genuine and passionate everyone who participated in the show was. I think at the finale, I became more or less attached to cast members and the elders who came in a lot. The party was one of the highlights of the show, and I actually felt emotional at the elder singing and felt a little sad that the show came to an end.

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I just wanted a little less bakery and a little more village.

Bonjour, Your Bakery is cute, wholesome, and genuinely heartwarming, but I went into it expecting something closer to Village Barber, which felt much more intimate to me.

All the credit to the cast: they worked incredibly hard and their interactions felt sincere. But because the village is so small, they often ended up serving the same people, and I’m not sure many of the elderly residents even knew who the cast members were. I actually found that charming, but I wish the show had used it as an opportunity to focus more on the villagers themselves: their lives, memories, and stories. I did love the stories we did get.

It’s still a sweet and genuine watch.

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