Philippines – Manila Davao Borocay – Travel Food Entertainment

Every Filipino knows who Jollibee is, what the restaurant is and what the brand stands for. In the Philippines, Jollibee is considered even more popular than the president. It’s because the name doesn’t only represent the restaurant chain… more importantly it represents good times together with good food. Pictured above their top selling products: the one-third pounder Champ and the “crispylicious and juicylicious” Chickenjoy.

Tony Tan Caktiong, founder and current Chairman and CEO of Jollibee Foods Corp., first ventured into the business when he opened an ice cream parlor in 1975. The parlor, found in Cubao, Quezon City, was called “Jolibe.” Aside from ice cream, the parlor also served hot meals and sandwiches. Three years later, Tony Tan and his partners (his brothers and sisters) hired a management consultant in the person of Mr. Manuel C. Lumba. It was Lumba’s idea to develop the business into something new; from selling ice cream he wanted to sell hamburgers. Based on his research, there was a much larger untapped market for hamburgers ready for picking.

Lumba changed the name Jolibe to Jolly Bee and then eventually to its current name, Jollibee. The mascot, a big red bee donning a small tuxedo and a chef’s hat, was also the brainchild of Lumba. He was also the one responsible for naming their burgers “Yumburgers,” and their fried chicken “Chickenjoy.”

The company was soon incorporated; having a house on Main St. in Cubao as its first headquarters. Backed up by Lumba’s long-term marketing strategy, Tony Tan Caktiong build stores here and there. The business then shifted into full self-service fastfood with its 7 flagship stores. And to further its development, Tan and Lumba went to the United States and attended food service and equipment conventions – stocking up on fastfood knowledge and international industry standards.

By 1984, Jollibee had hit its first half a million pesos in sales, and at the same time landing a spot in the Philippine’s Top 500 Corporations. Three years later, they got into the prestigious Top 100. Two years after that, they became the first Philippine fastfood chain to break the P1 billion sales mark. Many organizations in the country now look up to Jollibee as the number one local corporation.

30 years later, Jollibee has grown into a restaurant conglomerate. Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) now owns three more fastfood chains in the Philippines: Greenwich Pizza (the largest pizza chain in the country, specializing in Filipino-style Italian dishes and fully acquired by JFC in 2006), Chowking (a Chinese fastfood chain founded in 1985 and acquired by JFC in 2000), Red Ribbon Bakeshop (a popular bakeshop in the Philippines and the United States founded in 1979 and acquired by JFC in 2005). JFC also owns the local franchise of Delifrance.

JFC have also expanded internationally. It also runs its own Chinese fastfood chain in mainland China called Yonghe King. Then they also have a teahouse chain in Taiwan called Chun Shui Tang.

They now have 1,385 restaurants all in all, with over 200 found in other countries. Out of that number, 600 are Jollibee stores in the Philippines, with 30 more Jollibee branches outside the country.

If you happen to visit the Philippines, make sure you come and eat at Jollibee. Try the hamburger, the fries, the spaghetti, and the chicken. Find out for yourself why they are the number one fastfood chain in the country – beating out international brands like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s. And for those of you lucky enough to have one in your country please share with us your experience. We’re curious as to how Jollibee tastes outside the Philippines.

Good eating peeps!