Jollibee sets bigger expansion in North America

MANILA, Philippines — Jollibee Foods Corp. is expanding in more North America locations this year, as part of its goal to grow to 500 stores in the next five to seven years.

As part of this expansion, Jollibee officially opened its first restaurant in Orlando, Florida on Jan. 18, marking its first US opening for the year and the first-ever dual drive-thru lane store in the US.

“The strong reception of our Jollibee Orlando, Florida opening shows robust demand for our products in the US market, especially with our growing American consumer base,” Jollibee Group president and CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong said.

“We are grateful for the continued support of our valued customers in the US, and we are committed to introducing more innovations such as the dual-lane drive-thru to further elevate their Jollibee experience,” Tanmantiong added.

Similar to its Times Square location, the store in Orlando, Florida serves a new variety of sides and salads catered to the local taste, including Baked Cheddar Mac ‘n Cheese, Mandarin Orange Crispy Chicken Salad, and Biscuits.

Maribeth Dela Cruz, president of Jollibee North America, said the company is determined to make every experience at Jollibee Orlando “a joyful one for our guests.”

“We are ready to serve up the most delicious fried chicken here in Orlando, Florida,” she said.

Jollibee operates different restaurant brands in 34 countries, with over 6,300 stores globally with branches in the Philippines, the US, Canada, the People’s Republic of China, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Egypt, Panama, Malaysia, South Korea, India, and Australia.

Its brands include Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, and Smashburger. Its five franchised brands include Burger King, Panda Express, and Yoshinoya in the Philippines as well as Tim Ho Wan in certain territories in China.

Jollibee also has 80 percent ownership of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, a 60 percent ownership in the SuperFoods Group that owns Highlands Coffee and PHO24, as well as a 51 percent stake in Milksha, a popular Taiwanese bubble tea brand.