Jollibee Foods Corp. on Wednesday said it opened its first flagship store in Rome, Italy, in Via Ottaviano, catering mostly to thousands of Filipinos living in the city.
Jollibee’s location is near St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, the company said.
Like its other openings around the world, Jollibee’s opening in Rome drew long lines of customers while following physical distancing safety measures. Over 4,000 pieces of its fried chicken was served on its first day alone, along with its hamburgers and spaghetti.
“Opening our first Jollibee store in the historical city of Rome, especially in a location that is just an eight-minute walk from the Vatican City, is a milestone for us in the Jollibee family. Ever since our opening in Milan, we saw that there was a huge demand for Jollibee here in Italy and our succeeding openings in the United Kingdom show the appeal of Jollibee in other parts of Europe as well. We are excited to bring Jollibee’s Chickenjoy, other best sellers, and the Jollibee experience to more people as we expand in this region,” Jollibee CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong said. “The reception we got in Milan, which was our first Jollibee in Europe, then Earl’s Court in London, last month in Liverpool, and now in Rome has been amazing. Even the locals who have never heard about Jollibee are trying it and are coming back for more. We are a step closer to making Jollibee as well-loved in other countries as it is back here,” Jollibee
President for Europe, Middle East and Asia Dennis Flores said.
The Rome location marks the fourth Jollibee branch in Europe. The brand currently has over 1,400 stores across the globe, with more stores scheduled to open this year as part of the Jollibee Group’s strategy to selectively open 338 new stores in strategic locations.