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At 10am this morning Jollibee opened its new flagship restaurant at 22 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LE. Excited fans were waiting from 3AM, seven hours before the doors opened, to be first in line to try the delicious crispy fried “Chickenjoy®”, Jolly Spaghetti, and chicken burgers which Jollibee is famous for around the world. By 9.30am there were approximately 300 people waiting for the doors to open. The ambassador of the Philippines, Antonio M. Lagdameo and his wife Linda Floirendo Lagdameo attended the opening, cutting the ribbon alongside the Head of Jollibee Europe, Adam Parkinson, and Jollibee’s iconic bee mascot.
Jollibee’s launch queues are renowned around the world due its cult following of loyal fans. The restaurant is famous in the Philippines and around much of Asia and draws hundreds of chicken-lovers to its openings. The brand is excited to welcome British customers through the door and serve up the best fried chicken in the city. Now open in four cities across the UK – London, Liverpool, Leeds, and Leicester – with six further launches planned before the end of 2021 – the brand has huge ambitions to rival the major fast-food names in the UK.
The first customers through the door, a group of four 20-year olds, said “We arrived at 3am this morning to be the first in line. We’ve loved Jollibee since we were young. So excited that there is one now so central”.
Another customer in the queue said “Jollibee is a piece of my heart and makes me so nostalgic of when I grew up in the Philippines. Thank you to Jollibee for coming to London and bringing joy to the city”.
“This is a very proud moment for Jollibee in the UK as we open our London flagship. I was thrilled to see how many hundreds of fans turned up this morning to support us on opening day. Here in Leicester Square we are in the perfect location to cater to friends and family shopping, going to the cinema or theatre and on nights out in Soho and Covent Garden. Our crispy fried chicken is loved for a reason and we can’t wait to welcome new customers through the door to try out the menu.” said Adam Parkinson, Business Head of Europe for Jollibee.
“Opening the restaurant now, during the first week Londoners can dine inside, was a fantastic moment of celebration for our community of Jollibee lovers and our amazing team. This central London location represents our commitment to establishing Jollibee as a major chicken restaurant chain in the UK. We are bringing a premium fast-casual dining experience to London all at fast-food prices, providing young millennials, Gen-Z and our loyal fans a fun and joyous restaurant to share great food and social moments” adds Adam Parkinson.
About
Jollibee is a much-loved restaurant chain, founded in 1978 by Tony Tan Caktiong in the Philippines. Tony, the son of Chinese immigrants, built up his business from humble ice cream store beginnings, then later on expanded his offering to a selection of hot food. The brand continues to be owned by Jollibee Group and is now the market leader in the country’s restaurant industry, with 1,478 locations around the world as of December 31, 2020.
Parent company, Jollibee Group, now has over 5,800 stores globally and operates in 33 countries. Jollibee Group also owns and operates Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon and Mang Inasal in the Philippines; Yonghe King and Hong Zhuang Yuan in the PRC; Smashburger in the US, Highlands Coffee, mostly in Vietnam and The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf®. Jollibee Group also owns the franchise of Burger King, PHO24 and Panda Express in the Philippines, Dunkin’ Donuts in certain territories in the PRC, and Tim Ho Wan in Shanghai, PRC. The company is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange
