The Jollibee fast food chain, which operates over 1,400 units in the Philippines that specialize in fried chicken and spaghetti dishes, cut the ribbon to inaugurate its first restaurant in West Plano, Texas on August 20.
In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the company has continued to open new stores across the USA – including a second unit in the greater Houston area of Missouri City, a third outlet in the Chicago area inaugurated in June, and two sites in New Jersey during July.
For years, members of the Filipino American community living in the Dallas area have been asking Jollibee management to expand in the region, and their passion for the brand has driven increased curiosity with many non-Filipino heritage consumers.
“We’re honored and humbled by the warm reception and support we’ve received from our customers, given the times,” said Maribeth Dela Cruz, president of Jollibee Group North America, Philippine Brands. “As we look forward to bringing Jollibee to even more cities in the United States, the safety of team members and customers will continue to be our top priority.”
In order to provide a safe space and assure social distancing protocols at the West Plano premises, services available to customers are temporarily limited to call-ahead pick-up and drive-thru. In the future, Jollibee plans to introduce home delivery via Doordash and offer walk-in take-out orders to customers. The restaurant’s dining room will remain closed until further notice.
Among Jollibee’s expansive offerings, which feature a mashup of Western comfort food and Asian flavors, are the following:
- Chickenjoy: Fried chicken delicately hand-breaded to be “crispylicious” on the outside with a secret marinade that makes it “juicylicious” on the inside. The popular offering is complimented with a side of savory gravy for dipping.
- Jolly Spaghetti: This dish features a signature sweet-style sauce loaded with chunky slices of savory ham and hot dog, topped with a generous sprinkle of cheese.
- Peach Mango Pie: Presented in a hand-held sleeve, this dessert boasts a light crispy crust with a filling made with sweet Philippine mangoes.
- Chicken Sandwich Deluxe: Only available in the United States, this chicken sandwich is made with a 100% hand-breaded chicken breast fillet, a brioche bun, garlic aioli sauce, lettuce and tomatoes.
Jollibee’s West Plano eatery is its third enterprise in Texas and marks the brand’s 45th unit in the United States. Elsewhere around the world it operates more than 200 restaurants in 35 countries including Vietnam, Brunei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Malaysia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Italy and the United Kingdom.
In addition to Jollibee restaurants, the Pasig City, Philippines-headquartered company has seven other wholly-owned brands: Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan and Smashburger. It also operates Burger King and Panda Express franchises in the Philippines, Dunkin’ Donuts units in PRC territories, and has ownership stakes in a number of other enterprises including The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.
