So before we start let’s share some heritage about the delicious fast-food chain that is Jollibee! In 1975 Tony Tan Caktiong and his family opened a Magnolia Ice Cream parlour in Cubao, sometime in 1978, Caktiong and his brothers and sisters engaged the services of a management consultant, Manuel C. Lumba. Lumba shifted the business focus from ice cream to burgers, after his studies showed that a much larger market was waiting to be served. Lumba became Caktiong’s first business and management mentor.
Jollibee is an American-style fast-food restaurant with Filipino-influenced dishes specializing in burgers, spaghetti, chicken and some local Filipino dishes. In the Philippines, Jollibee serves Coca-Cola products for its beverages; in overseas markets, the chain serves Pepsi products.
Currently the largest fast-food chain in the country, it also has locations in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Dubai and Brunei.
Jollibee has won many accolades. It has consistently been mentioned as one of the Philippines’ and Asia’s most admired companies in surveys conducted by publications such as Asian Business Magazine and The Asian Wall Street Journal and has received other plaudits from Euromoney and Asia Money. In 2008, it was also the recipient of the FMCG and F & B Asia Pacific Supply Chain Excellence Award at the SCM Logistics Excellence Awards.
WeAreHQ are the first ever web-zine to interview Jollibee and we are proud to continue to deliver quintessential content direct to you at all times! So remember to join our fan page on Facebook and follow us at @WeAreHQ.
WeAreHQ: When will we be able to experience the taste of Jollibee in the United
Kingdom and Europe?
Jollibee: Europe, especially the United Kingdom is within Jollibee’s current expansion horizon due to the significant Filipino population in these markets.
Outside of the Philippines, Jollibee has seen a lot of successes from the mainstream market with its fast growing following from non-Filipinos. Areas such as Brunei with 11 stores and Vietnam with 21 stores have been doing very well. At this point, we have not yet set a timetable for when you’ll be able to buy a ChickenJoy or Yumburger in the United Kingdom.
ChickenJoy and rice
WeAreHQ: Can you give us 3 interesting facts about the Jollibee brand?
Jollibee:
1. Jollibee started as an ice cream parlor in 1975.
2. We are the number 1 fast food chain in Philippines and Brunei. (Yes, we are bigger than McDonald’s in the Philippines)
3) Jollibee Foods Corporation is multi-national conglomerate, we own and operate several other food service brands such as:
Greenwich (Pizza/Pasta), Chowking (Chinese fast-food), Red Ribbon (Cakes and Pastries), in the US and Philippines Manong Pepe’s (value fastfood) Mang Inasal (Chicken Barbecue) Café Ti Amo (Coffee-Gelato)
In China: Yonghe King (Chinese fastfood)Hong Zhuang Yuan (Beef Noodle House) San Ping Wan (Noodle House)
Jollibee Brunei (left) California (right)
WeAreHQ: Would Jollibee like to share a recipe similar to famous barbecue chicken and yum burger that is prepared at your restaurants for our Filipino London readers?
Jollibee: Sorry Al, we can’t. Recipes are closely guarded secrets. We can only share a products’ general description but not the recipe.
You can’t blame me for trying [laughs]
WeAreHQ: How does Jollibee create it’s meal menus, what thought goes into it?
Jollibee: Jollibee offers everyday affordable western menu concepts attuned to local preferences and complemented by localized offerings. We make sure that every member of the family would have a product from Jollibee that he/she would love.
Jollibee Chicken Barbecue, YUM Burger and Ice Craze with Cheese Ube
WeAreHQ: Jollibee merchandise is available in various stores in Asia and the Unites States, has Jollibee considered following the trend of collaborating with brands (such as Nike etc) to release product?
Jollibee: Sure, Jollibee is open to collaborating with other brands as long as they have a strong brand image and it would also appeal to our target market.
WeAreHQ: In London we celebrate the Barrio Fiesta, has Jollibee considered opening up a concession food stall so the community can experience the taste of Jollibee?
Jollibee: Ideally, we only consider setting up a food stall when there’s a Jollibee store already established in the country, that way we can make sure that the food delivery and presentation of the Jollibee products are of the highest standards and of the best quality.
Yummy Jollibee Spaghetti
WeAreHQ: I simply love the Jollibee spaghetti, we know Jollibee won’t disclose any information regarding patented recipes but would you give us a similar alternative to the spaghetti? Pretty please?
Jollibee: The Jollibee Spaghetti uses special ingredients that give a distinct and unique Jollibee flavor. Possibly a home-cooked Filipino sweet style spaghetti may come close? Sweet tomato sauce and sausage.
WeAreHQ: Can you tell us about the famous Jollibee mascot and when it was Introduced?
Jollibee: The Jollibee mascot was launched in 1980 it was changed many times and is now are famous bee mascot.
Jollibee Halo Halo cheese and fruit iced in condensed milk with ube and mango ice cream!
WeAreHQ: When and where did the first ever Jollibee fast food restaurant open?
Jollibee: The first Jollibee was opened in the Philippines in 1978 in the busy commercial district of Cubao. The first Jollibee store was Jollibee Coronet.
WeAreHQ: What message would Jollibee like to send out to the Filipino community in London, England?
Jollibee: Thanks to all our loyal fans in the United Kingdom, Watch out for a Jollibee store very soon!
Jollibee “bee” mascot – This will one day be in my collectors hall
We want to hear from our fans!
Follow us on Twitter at @iwantjollibee
Our official fan page is facebook.com/iwantjollibee
WeAreHQ: Thank you for speaking to us and we look forward to seeing the Jollibee Food Corporation expand into Europe in the near future!
So Jollibee is coming to the United Kingdom soon! But when? They are pretty tight lipped but hey, it’ll happen in this lifetime!
I would like to thank Jollibee for taking time out to speak to us and Manolo Almagro – Director of Jollibee’s Digital Team.
I have taken the liberty of including my recipe of the signature YUM burger: 1 -Pound ground angus beef, 10 -Small hamburger buns, 10 -Hamburger dill slices, 10 -teaspoons dried, chopped onion, ground pepper, mustard, ketchup.
The Hamburger Seasoning:
1 Tablespoons salt
1 Tablespoons Accent (msg)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
If you have any questions regarding this feature feel free to contact me at a.esguerra@WeAreHQ.com
Alexander Esguerra
YouAre Commenting...