Jollibee Will Open First Manhattan Location on October 27th

The world's largest Asian restaurant chain opens its first store in the Big Apple. Image: Jollibee

NEW YORK -- Popular fast-food restaurant Jollibee, which has over 1,300 stores across the world, is opening its first Manhattan location near Times Square and Port Authority on Saturday, October 27, 2018.

Also read, Chick-fil-A to Open First Toronto Restaurant Location in 2019.

Manhattanites can look forward to finally getting their hands on the brand's world-famous Chickenjoy, which is delicately hand-breaded to be crispylicious on the outside, with a secret marinade that makes it juicylicious on the inside. Jollibee fans from across the world love to pair the famous fried chicken with gravy and other favorites such as Jolly Spaghetti with its signature sweet-style sauce loaded with chunky slices of savory ham, and hotdog; and Peach Mango Pie's delicious filling made with real Philippine mangoes enveloped within a flaky golden-brown crust. The late Anthony Bourdain was spotted eating at various Jollibee locations, and declared his love for the brand on his show "Parts Unknown."

The Manhattan store is a milestone for Jollibee.  It will be the 2nd store in New York State, the 37th store in the United States and the 41st store in North America.

"We are excited to finally open our doors in the heart of bustling Manhattan, which is not just a center of business and finance, but a major cultural and entertainment hub that receives millions of visitors from around the world each year," said Jose Miñana, Jollibee Foods Corporation's (JFC) Group President for North America. "The diversity of the food culture and the fast pace of living here make it perfect for our new Jollibee store location."

The opening is expected to draw long lines of customers, similar to its other store openings across the globe. At two of the most recent openings in Canada's Greater Toronto Area, fans traveled from different parts of the country and queued for hours to be among the first customers.  

"We hope that the people of Manhattan will come and experience for themselves why people line up for a taste of Jollibee," said Maribeth dela Cruz, Vice President and General Manager for JFC North America.

In celebration of the new store, Jollibee will award free Chickenjoy for a year to the first 40 customers in line. Exclusive Jollibee Funko Pop! figures and other Jollibee collectibles will be up for grabs, too, in celebration of Jollibee's 40th anniversary.

Jollibee is the flagship brand of Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), which is the world's largest Asian restaurant company operating in 20 countries, with over 4,200 stores globally, nearly a third of which are Jollibee brand stores. JFC has an 85% stake in Smashburger, and has recently entered into an agreement with award-winning Chef Rick Bayless to build a Mexican fast-casual restaurant business in the United States.

SOURCE Jollibee