Filipino Chicken Chain Hits US Milestone

Jollibee (Pasig, Philippines) will open its latest location, in Alameda, Calif., on Oct. 11. That locale marks the chicken chain’s 75th restaurant in the U.S., and its 12th in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“We cannot wait to open our doors in Alameda! It’s such a welcoming city and its rich tapestries of cultures make it the perfect place for us to spread our joy by bringing together families and friends over a delicious Jollibee meal,” Maribeth Dela Cruz, Business Group Head, Honeybee Foods Corp. said in a news release. “The Bay Area has welcomed us with open arms ever since we opened our very first location in Daly City in 1998, and we look forward to our continued expansion in this beautiful region of The Golden State.”

In addition to adding more locales in its existing California and New York markets, Jollibee is planning to expand into such new areas for the brand as Portland, Ore.

Jollibee Foods Corp.’s portfolio includes eight wholly owned brands: Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan and Smashburger; four franchised brands (Burger King, Panda Express, Yoshinoya in the Philippines, and Tim Ho Wan in China); and ownership stakes in The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (80%), Compose Coffee (70%), SuperFoods Group that operates Highlands Coffee (60%), and bubble tea brand Milksha (51%). The company also has membership interests in Tortazo LLC, along with Chef Rick Bayless, for Tortazo in the U.S., and has recently invested in Botrista, a beverage technology company.