In the world of fast-food, the competition is fierce. But, there's one chain that stands
out because it offers everything on a menu you could possibly want. To satisfy your hunger
and your curiosity, here are 10 Untold Truths of Jollibee (Part 3).
There's A Jollibee Pick-Up App Even with the pandemic forcing many to stay
home, life has been pretty hectic. A lot of people have started working on-site again
and don't always have the luxury of waiting in long lines. Since gatherings of any kind
have been best to avoid, Jollibee came up with the perfect solution by creating a new Order
and Pick Up service! This service is available through the Jollibee app and is designed to
make its customers' lives much easier. Jollibee praises the Order and Pick up service as convenient,
and the perfect way to maximize your travel time. You simply call, text, or message your
order to the nearest Jollibee, you schedule the day and time you would like to pick it
up, and voila! You no longer need to wait forever to get your food! As you pick it up,
you can either go to the claiming area to collect your order or stay in the comfort
of your car while the store crew hands you your food. Jollibee always tries to bring
services that add value and bring convenience to its customers through innovation, and this
new service definitely fits the bill.
There Used To Be A TV Show
Like any good fast-food restaurant knows, the best way to gain trust is to get the thumbs
up of approval from the children! Jollibee knew this and took to the airwaves with the
creation of a TV show featuring their busy mascot, Jolly Bee. Jollittown was launched
in 2008 to promote the chain's 30th anniversary and concluded in 2013, with a total of 82
episodes. And the kids loved it! With good reason, too. Along with Jollibee as the main
character, the chain introduced a bunch of new characters, all meant to represent the
menu's favorites. There was Hetty, the cheerleader representing spaghetti, Popo, the french fries,
Twirlie, the sundae, and Mr.Yum, who represents the burger. Jollitown followed the crazy adventures
of the characters, helping make wishes come true. If you're thinking that you've never
seen the show, that's understandable. It was only available to people living in the Philippines,
but it probably would've been quite the hit if it had aired in the United States. A bunch
of colorful mascots representing fast-food items going on adventures? What's not to love?
The Lines Are Always Long
When the food is good, obviously, it's going to take some sacrifice to get your hands on
some. When it comes to Jollibee, this sacrifice is your time. A little tip, don't go to Jollibee
if you're in a hurry; because the waiting times are always, always long. No matter
what time of the day, or the location you go to, people just can't seem to get enough
of Jollibee. It's even advised that when you do plan on going to Jollibee, you should bring
some tunes and some snacks with you because you could be there a while. This was proven
numerous times, notably when the Dallas-Fort Worth location opened in Plano, Texas. Last
August, the long-awaited arrival of Jollibee created a lot of hype, which means it also
created long lines and lots of waiting. But people didn't care! On its first day of business,
some chicken fans were even lined up at 4 a.m to make sure they got their fix - even
though the store didn't open until 8 a.m. And the waiting in line? Well, it was about
4 hours long. Imagine having to wait 4 hours just to get your hands on some fried chicken?
Thankfully, it's more than worth it. You know what they say: the longer you wait for your
food, the better it's going to be!
They're Planning To Go Meat-Free
Okay, hold on to your hats - no, Jollibee isn't going to get rid of its iconic fried
chicken anytime soon, you can relax. However, they are planning on adding some new, meat-free
options in response to demand and a growing health-consciousness - at least, in the Philippines. Cargill
Philippines - which supplies chicken to Jollibee - has revealed the intention to bring plant-based
meat alternatives to its menu in the near future. The president of Cargill has said
they want to participate in the plant-based protein biz, and that its arrival in the Philippines
was in the works. There’s already an ongoing discussion and interest, especially since
the pandemic, when they saw the demand for poultry drastically drop. So, while Jollibee
has yet to confirm if they're completely on-board with the idea yet, there is a very good possibility
that it will happen, if not now, soon enough. Fast-food chains have been diving more and
more into the plant-based business, so why not Jollibee? There's no doubt that it would
be simply exquisite, and it would also widen their menu options and allow more people to
see what all the Jollibee fuss was about. Here's to keeping our fingers crossed that
they actually go through with it and that they bring it all the way here as well!
Crazy Breakfasts!
Your experience at Jollibee wouldn't be complete without trying out their breakfast options
at least once. They are insane, delicious, and simply too iconic not to be tried. While
most people will turn to the famous Egg McMuffin when they want a fast-food breakfast, Jollibee
should really be on top of your priority list when it comes to a hearty breakfast. For instance,
if you're a fan of Spam, you can enjoy it served with a side of tomato, egg, and rice. Well,
in the Philippines, at least - this one has yet to grace our American menus. If Spam is
not your jam, then they also have corned beef, hot dog-esque sausage, some tocino - which
is sweet pork, and even beef tenders. The “Breakfast Joys” can also include some
Jolly crispy chicken with a side of rice and egg, pancakes, and their famous steaks. These
options are inspired by traditional Filipino and Western breakfast staples. However, they're
only available in certain locations and aren't an all-day luxury. All these delicious items
can be ordered and enjoyed up to 11 AM. Of course, no one said the only thing you can
get for breakfast is designated breakfast food. If you feel like eating some spaghetti,
then go right ahead; no one's ever going to say anything about that. Just make sure you
try the breakfast classics at some point; they're worth it.
It Wasn't Always A Fast-Food Chain
While it may be hard to imagine that one of the most successful fast-food chains wasn't
originally supposed to be one, it is very true. Jollibee's founder, Tony Tan Caktiong, ditched
a promising career in chemical engineering to get into the ice cream business in 1975.
After opening two ice cream stands, he decided to expand a little more by serving some hot
items along with the frozen treats. However, the non-ice cream items ended up becoming the
most popular items on the menu. So Tony knew what he had to do. He flew to America from
the Philippines to study the methods used by fast-food giant, McDonald's. Might as well
learn from the best. When he went back, he used all of his knowledge to expand into the
fast-food business. He opened a burger joint, created fun and colorful mascots, and sold
his food at a very affordable price. And where did that lead him? It led him on the road
to becoming a billionaire businessman and the owner of one of the most accomplished,
prosperous fast-food joints. Not too shabby, indeed. This head-start gave Jollibee the
momentum it needed to survive the buzz always surrounding McDonald's and allowed it to quickly
gain notoriety. While there's no doubt that the ice cream was probably exquisite, we can't
help but be thankful that Tony decided to open Jollibee instead.
Jollibee Has Won Awards
It's one thing to say that you're one of the best fast-food chains out there, but it's
another to actually have the proof to back it up. After years of serving delicious and
comforting food, Jollibee has finally got the recognition it deserves. Along with surpassing
fast-food icons like KFC, McDonald's, and Shake Shack on the American magazine Redbook
list of best fast-foods, Jollibee has received numerous praises over the years. Recently, Jollibee
Foods Corporation received two global citations recognizing the company’s excellence as
a world-class employer. And that's not all. They also received Gallup's Exceptional Workplace
award. Basically, it highlights just how much Jollibee values and takes good care of
its employees. These obviously also apply to every JFC brand, such as Smashburger, Chowking,
and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. To reach that conclusion, Forbes conducted some research
and surveyed 160,000 employees from over 58 countries. The employees were asked to score
their employers based on image, economic footprint, talent development, gender equality, and social
responsibility. They also had to rate their willingness to recommend their employers to
friends and family and their satisfaction with their employer's response to the pandemic.
The results speak for themselves. So now, not only can Jollibee say that they're an
amazing restaurant, but they can actually prove it!
The Jolly Bee Of Jollibee
While Jollibee would win quite a lot of popularity contests in the Philippines, it has yet to
reach the same status in America. Despite its delicious taste and friendly staff, there
are still a lot of people who aren't familiar enough with the chain to declare it their
favorite. When Jollibee realized that they needed to compete with large international
corporations with polished branding, they knew they needed to reinvent themselves, starting
with the name and logo. Tony, the founder, originally named it Jolibe, with only one
L and one E. While it doesn't seem like two little letters would make a big difference,
it did. Management consultant Manuel Lumba suggested that they should change the name
to resemble the words “jolly” and “bee” as closely as possible. Before that, people
had kind of a hard time figuring out how to pronounce the name. As for the logo, Lumba
created it using influences from Mickey Mouse, comic books, and our good old friend Ronald
McDonald. He chose a bee because they are hard-working, good-hearted, busy, and cheerful,
and Tony thought it represented the best of the Filipino people. Of course, bees are also associated
with honey, a symbol of the sweeter things in life. When this switch was made, Jollibee
saw its popularity go up and quickly took over the Philippines as the best fast-food
chain. Needless to say, it's beginning to look like it just might do the same thing
over here, not that we're complaining!
There's A Lot Of Must-Try Items
If you've ever had the chance to try some authentic, traditional Filipino food, then
you know just how tasty it is. It's comfort food at its finest. At Jollibee, they serve
an array of delicious and creative dishes that all have a jolly spin on them, so to
speak. While everything on the menu is worth trying at least once, because it's so darn
good, there are four iconic things that everyone should get to experience. Best of all, you
no longer need to travel across the world to try some good food from the Philippines.
First off, Jollibee wouldn't be Jollibee without Chickenjoy. Definitely one of the chain's most popular
items, the Chickenjoy stands out thanks to the signature blend of spices it's seasoned
with. If you're looking for something with a crispy outside and juicy meat on the inside,
look no further, you've found your new favorite! Next up, we have a Filipino birthday classic,
the Jolly Spaghetti. Made with a sweet-style red sauce, long al dente spaghetti, and sliced
hotdogs, this dish is perfectly paired, as luck would have it, with fried chicken.
Then, the Palabok Fiesta is definitely another must-try. The classic Filipino dish has premium
bihon noodles and is topped with a tasty shrimp sauce, Chicharrón pork crackling, and egg
slice. Last but not least, what's a complete meal without some dessert? The Peach Mango
Pie is the perfect sweet and flaky way to end your Jollibee experience.
Jollibee Is Expanding...Quickly!
If you ask anyone in the Philippines what the most popular fast-food place is, chances
are, you'll always get the same answer: Jollibee. The multinational chain came about in the
late 1970s in Manila. After only a decade, they were already dominating the local market.
But they didn't stop there. Jollibee wanted to expand even more on a wider scale and opened their
first international branch in Taiwan in 1986. Then, in 1988, their first US location in
California, was opened, and they've been growing in the U.S. ever since. With over 1,300 Jollibee
locations worldwide today, it's safe to say they have been quite successful in bringing
together a mashup of Western comfort food and Asian flavors to satisfy even the pickiest
eaters. In the U.S., we've seen the chain getting more and more popular by opening store
after store, and there are now 37 stores across the country. Jollibee has also been ranked
fourth when it comes to Best Fast-Food Fried Chicken in America, which is a great honor,
especially considering how much we love fried chicken. It seems like almost every day, Jollibee
announces a new location as they are popping up left and right - and we can't complain
about that! Just recently, in the midst of the pandemic, 12 new stores across North
America were opened, adding locations in Texas, Illinois, New Jersey, and Nevada. Jollibee is determined
to continue its fruitful and rewarding expansion, not only in the US but all around the world.
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