Corner Bakery Café has signed an agreement to open seven new locations across South Texas within the next five years. The agreement with restaurateur Bernardo Castillon would bring the total number of planned franchise Corner Bakery locations up to 45 in Texas, adding to its 23 existing company-owned and franchised locations.

“What sold me on Corner Bakery Cafe was a combination of three things: the culinary innovation and ingredient-inspired food, the well-organized operating system, and the top-notch management team,” Castillon, owner and principal of MX Restaurants and Bakeries Inc., said in a press release. “Their ability to maintain both food quality and brand image across 121 national locations is quite impressive, and the bakery café concept is a perfect fit for my region of Texas that is missing this kind of dining experience.”

The first café will open in McAllen, Texas, in 2012. Six additional locations are planned for Corpus Christi, Laredo, Brownsville and Harlingen. The company aims to open more company-owned outposts in Dallas/Fort Worth, and also will introduce the brand to the Austin market in 2012.