Jollibee
Jollibee is a Filipino fast-food chain and the flagship brand of Jollibee Foods Corporation. It is the largest fast-food restaurant chain in the Philippines and has grown into an international brand, mixing American-style burgers and fried chicken with dishes tailored to Filipino tastes.
History
The chain began in 1975, when Tony Tan Caktiong and his family opened a Magnolia ice cream parlour in Cubao, Quezon City. When the hot meals and sandwiches they had added began to outsell the ice cream, the family converted the shop into a fast-food restaurant, and the first Jollibee opened in 1978. A management consultant, Manuel C. Lumba, advised on the change of strategy. The name was initially spelled "Jolibe" before becoming "Jollibee". The company was incorporated that same year, and by its end there were seven branches in Metro Manila.
Growth was swift. When McDonald's entered the Philippines in 1981, Jollibee held its ground by focusing on Filipino tastes. Its first franchised outlet opened in 1979, and its first overseas branch in Singapore in 1985, which closed a year later. Expansion continued with Brunei in 1987 and North America in 1998, while the first European branch opened in Milan in 2018.
Over the years the group also built a portfolio of brands, including Greenwich, Chowking, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal and the Burger King franchise in the Philippines.
Culture
In the Philippines, Jollibee is a familiar fixture for families, who go for its children's meals and its atmosphere aimed at the whole household. Its best-known product is the Chickenjoy fried chicken, served with gravy, and the Yumburger, one of its earliest items, a beef burger with mayonnaise and a distinctive sweetness. Local favourites include palabok, a variant of pancit with fried noodles, and Jolly Spaghetti, with its sweet meat sauce.
The bee mascot, in a red blazer, stands for what the company describes as the optimistic spirit of the Filipino people. Abroad the menu adapts to each market: in Vietnam the chain has a strong local following, while in the Middle East its main customers are Filipino migrant workers.