The Taste of the World

When it comes to fast food restaurants in the Philippines, Jollibee is always the word of mouth all over the Philippines. Jollibee has become a household name in the Philippines, but this name isn’t only recognized around the Philippines, but also among the major countries such as in the US.

Jollibee began as an ice-cream parlor in 1975. However, founder Tony Tan Caktiong soon saw that sandwiches and burgers offered more potential, so he studied U.S. fast-food systems and revamped his concept before incorporating Jollibee in 1978. Shares of the parent company, Jollibee Foods Corp., are traded publicly on the Philippine stock market. Check out the <a onClick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href="http://www.expressregalo.com/category.aspx?scid=67&cid=14">Jollibee web site</a>
for these.

Much of Jollibee's success at home and abroad is tied to the greater variety of foods found on its menu compared with the bill of fare at many quick-service chains, company officials have said. Along with soft drinks, fries and burgers - including the best-selling double-patty Champ and pineapple-bacon-and-cheese topped Aloha - Jollibee sells fried, bone-in chicken, all-beef hot dogs, spaghetti, rice-based JolliMeals, such as Salisbury steak, and a turnoverlike peach-mango pie.

Jollibee officials like to characterize the chain's menu as American fast-food favorites "prepared with an Asian-Pacific flair." What that means, Balague indicated, is that many of the offerings feature more spices and a "slightly sweeter" flavor profile than that of their traditional counterparts.

Jollibee Food Corporation operates or franchises to others about 627 Jollibee restaurants in the Philippines. Chain sources said Jollibee controls 50 percent of the Philippine quick-service market and 69 percent of the burger business, outperforming global powerhouses McDonald's and KFC. Check out the <a onClick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href="http://www.expressregalo.com/category.aspx?scid=67&cid=14">Jollibee web site</a>
for these.

The chain counts another 29 units abroad in 12 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia, Dubai and Brunei. As of December 2007, Jollibee has become one of the biggest fast-food chains in the world with 1,655 stores worldwide and total sales of more than US$1 billion.

As of March, 2008, JFC has 1,466 stores in the Philippines namely, Jollibee (627), Chowking (377), Greenwich Pizza (236), Red Ribbon Bakeshop (194), Délifrance (28) and Manong Pepe's (4). According to its own web site, it has 23 stores overseas.

From a household name in the Philippines, Jollibee became a worldwide name because of what it can provide not only the cravings of Filipinos all over the world, but the taste of the world.