A busy bee lands in Queens

NEW YORK — Like the jealous stepsister, East Coast Pinoys have been hankering for a Jollibee, just like they have in the West Coast.

For a US-based Filipino, there are days when nothing hits the spot like a crispy, juicy order of Chicken Joy or the sweet, spicy taste of Pinoy Jollibee spaghetti.

So last year, news of a Jollibee opening in Queens, New York got everyone excited.

After months of anticipation, the first Jollibee in the East Coast opened on Feb. 14 in Woodside, in an area also known as Little Manila. The street is practically a concentration of Filipino restaurants, salons and grocery stores.

Status updates of Facebook friends alerted us that Jollibee Woodside was finally in operation. In fact, there was a lot of chatter about it a few weeks prior to the opening.

Friends who had satisfied their cravings had bragging rights that never failed to get everyone’s attention.

As it turned out, the Filipino community was not the only one excited about it. Even the New York Times and the popular Eater NY (http://eater.com) dropped by and featured Jollibee in their restaurant review sections.

So one month after opening, we went there to check it out. We figured the lines would have thinned out by then and most of the kinks ironed out. More importantly, we were craving Peach Mango Pie.

Upon entering we were greeted by a long line and the smell of Chicken Joy permeating the air.

When the door closed behind us, we left the freezing cold of New York and felt as if we were transported back to Manila. We had never seen so many Filipinos in one place. Even the crew is mostly Filipino, and they were all buzzing around like busy bees.

At times they even seemed confused — obviously, they are still going through birth pains, and probably a sign that there is still a lot of training to be done.

Then again, they probably did not expect such a deluge of customers.

Fil-Am Samantha Dimalanta, 23, a nurse from Jersey City, shared with us: “I came on opening day and it was insane. The line was just out the door when we arrived. We turned the corner to look for parking and when we came back, the line was down the block! This is actually my third attempt to eat here.”

She came with her friend, Glendale Barrias, 24, also a nurse from Jersey City.

“I came here for the novelty, and to support Filipino products. But I noticed the line is slow. Is it a Filipino thing? There was a lady, and she was so irate, saying she had to wait two hours.”

“I realized the best time to go is in the afternoon, before 3 p.m. when the kids get off from school,” Samantha says.

Obviously, the queuing system needs a lot of work. People get antsy waiting for their turn. But once they get ordering and the food arrives, everything seems to be forgotten.

Admittedly, the first thing we noticed about the food was the price.

Burgers are $1.30 (the Yumburger) to $6.29 (Amazing Aloha). The Champ here, by the way, is known as The Heavyweight. Chicken Joy is $2.99 per order piece to $38.99 for 18 pieces. Spaghetti is $4.49 while palabok is $5.79.

Because Pinoys love bringing home pasalubong, they have party-sized platters like the Spaghetti Family Pack ($13.99) and the Palabok Family Pack ($17.79).

Glendale shared our sentiments. “I thought it was really expensive. I find it horrendous to pay so much for fast food. McDonald’s fries are cheaper.”

Drinks are not included in the meal, unlike back home, but a soda machine stands outside the kitchen where customers can come back for refills.

Taste-wise, the burgers and Chicken Joy are true to the original recipe. Samantha, who remembers going to Jollibee as a kid, says it was her first time to try Chicken Joy. “I’m pleased with the crispiness of the chicken. I’ll definitely come back with the rest of the family.”

The spaghetti, however, seemed less sweet. Obviously absent was the bright red hotdog, the true mark of a Jollibee Spaghetti. But it seemed to be a hit with the locals, as Matt Gross of the New York Times described it as “frighteningly addictive.”

The crowd was made up mostly of Filipinos, high school kids, and parents with young kids. There was also a good mix of Latino, Indian, Caucasian and Middle Eastern folks. Some came with their Filipina wives, while a few seemed to have gone on their own to see what the fuss was all about.

We thought the place didn’t seem as “jolly” as the ones back home. Strangely lacking was the hyper “Ma’am/Sir” greeting of the crew, and the requisite playground for the kiddies (could be due to the high rental space and the prospective legal liability, this being New York, after all).

Unlike back home where people linger over their meal, in New York, people eat and run off to their next appointment. Nevertheless, the tables are always filled and it is not uncommon to find yourself sharing a table with a complete stranger.

Turnover is quite fast, so unlike other fast food chains here, Jollibee has a dedicated busboy making rounds, assisting customers, clearing up tables and picking up trays along the way.

* * *

From Manhattan, we took the 7 train to 61st and Roosevelt Avenue.

Jollibee is located at 62-29 Roosevelt Avenue (63rd Street), Woodside, Queens; (718) 426-4445.