JOLLIBEE Foods Corp.’s aggressive international expansion includes a focus on Canada, where Filipino food is seeing a rise in visibility with several Filipino restaurants opening in recent years, as well as major grocery stores carrying more Filipino products and brands on their aisles.
Canada’s large and growing Filipino population coupled with many Canadians’ eagerness to sample international cuisine makes the country a prime choice for Filipino food-service businesses. Jollibee opened its first Canadian spot in Winnipeg in 2016, quickly followed by another branch in the province.
Jollibee Scarborough, the fast-food company’s long-awaited first store in Toronto, opened its doors to customers on April 1 as the company celebrated its 40th year. The store is also the 40th joint in North America.
In attendance during the opening were Jollibee Food Corp. President Jose Minana; Scarborough Member of Parliament Salma Zahid; Senior Trade Commissioner Maria Roseni Alvero of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the US and Canada Management Team of Jollibee; and representatives of First Gulf, which owns Jollibee’s location; and Kennedy Commons and Sysco, the North American food-service conglomerate.
Two heated tents protected thousands of Jollibee fans—some who waited for as long as 10 hours—from the wind, rain and temperature that dipped below zero. The restaurant saw Jollibee devotees camping overnight on the eve of the store’s grand opening, with the promise of a one-year supply of Crispy Jolly Chicken going to the first 40 customers to make a minimum purchase of $30.
The festivities continued throughout the opening day, with the Jollibee mascot greeting the crowds inside the tents for photo opportunities. The last customer of the work day was served just after 2:30 a.m.
Jollibee Scarborough’s menu included all of the fast-food chain’s well-loved favorites, such as Jolly Crispy Chicken, Jolly Spaghetti, Yumburger, Burger Steak, Palabok Fiesta and Peach Mango Pie.
A few days after the store’s opening, Ontario’s Premier Kathleen Wynne paid a visit, greeted by the Consul General Rosalita Prospero, Alvero, Jollibee North officials and Filipino community leaders. The visit was a way for Wynn to connect with her constituents, with over 330,000 Filipinos residing in Ontario, making the community the third-largest minority group in the province.
“The chicken was delicious; it was really tender. And there’s a sweet theme. That batter was a little bit sweeter, there’s sweet on the spaghetti and it’s delicious. I can see why everybody is lining up!” Wynn remarked.
Jollibee’s first Toronto location continues to draw big crowds, with non-Filipinos venturing to the store to see for themselves what the hype is all about. To manage the crowds, Jollibee started issuing a ticketing system that indicates the time you can line up. People are still reporting lines of up to two hours of waiting time, even three months after the store first opened its doors.
Jollibee Scarborough is the first of three Toronto locations the company plans to open this year. Jollibee Mississauga is set to open this month.
Jollibee CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong said “Jollibee will open 100 stores in Canada in the next five years” through franchising arrangements of at least 1 million per store. This can be considered a very aggressive stance on the part of a Filipino company in making a mark in the mainstream market outside of the Philippines.