Jollibee, famous around the world for its crispy fried chicken and fast-food classics with a tropical twist, will open its new restaurant at 22 Leicester Square, London on Thursday 20th May. The restaurant chain was founded in the Philippines in 1978 and now has stores across the globe including the USA, Canada, Italy and here in the UK.
Jollibee is world-renowned for the delicious taste of its distinctive menu and exceptional standard of service. Bestsellers include “Chickenjoy®”, the famous crispy fried chicken made with a family-secret marinade; “Jolly Spaghetti”, made with a Filipino inspired sweet-style sauce, loaded with layers of cheese and hot dog slices; and the “Jollibee Chicken Burger”, perfectly prepared by the team with hand-breaded juicy fried chicken for extra crunch. The diverse menu is a modern tropical take on a traditional western menu, with additional unique items like the Asian Chicken Tender Rice Bowl, Mango Coconut Sundae and Pineapple Juice.
Proudly family-owned, Jollibee’s new restaurant in Leicester Square will offer high-quality great tasting food and a joyful experience to everyone who comes through the door, all at an affordable price point. Community spirit and hospitality are central to both Jollibee as a brand and the Filipino culture, so customers will enjoy great service and fun sociable experiences with every visit.
“Bringing Jollibee to London’s West End is part of our continued commitment to expanding in Europe and bringing our delicious crispy Chickenjoy to more people around the world. Globally, Jollibee Group plans to open 450 restaurants across its brands this year with the long-term goal of being one of the world’s top five restaurant operators. We know customers are excited to try new restaurants and visitors will return to key tourist destinations like central London, helping to fuel the capital’s restaurant industry. It’s great to see local communities in the UK trying our food for the first time and becoming loyal customers.” Ernesto Tanmantiong, CEO of Jollibee Group
Londoners Eagerly Return to West End
The hugely anticipated Leicester Square restaurant is in a prime central location in the capital, looking on to Leicester Square Gardens and right next to ODEON Luxe, the cinema’s flagship venue. The restaurant will be open 10am – 10pm every day, with a seating capacity of 175. London’s chicken lovers have long awaited a restaurant like Jollibee to open up in the area. Jollibee has answered their calls, as the only fried chicken joint within a ten-minute walk of the station. The brand is expecting to serve thousands of Londoners in the first weeks of launch, as people return to eagerly awaited social experiences with friends and family. In line with government regulations and social distancing requirements, the store will open during the first week restaurants can offer customers indoor dining, in groups of up to six people, or two households of any size.
The restaurant will officially open its doors at 10am on Thursday 20th May with a red-carpet roll-out and Jollibee’s famous mascot entertaining Jollibee fans. Jollibee’s previous store launches saw hundreds, even thousands at the Earl’s Court branch, of people queuing up to get a taste of their favourite fried chicken.
“Opening in central London in such an iconic location is a huge step forward for Jollibee. Behind the scenes we have been perfecting our new menu items as well as planning our brand-new restaurant design. The store in Leicester Square is designed to provide impeccable customer service. We want to provide the best experience for our customers, from ensuring each menu item is of the highest quality down to the comfortable seating.” Dennis Flores, President of Jollibee Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia
Grand Plans for Global Expansion
The opening of the UK flagship restaurant marks a major step in the brand’s large-scale plans to expand across Europe and North America. The chain has opened hundreds of restaurants in the last few years including Manhattan, Toronto and Rome. In the UK, the chain opened its first store in Earl’s Court in 2018, then launched in Liverpool and Leicester in 2020. By 2025, Jollibee intends to have 50 stores across Europe, including the first restaurant in Spain which will open within the year. So far, the company has sold over three million pieces of chicken to the British people and this number is set to rise to 15 million by the end of 2022.
The new restaurant will create job opportunities for 60 Londoners, providing some much-needed support to London’s hospitality industry and bringing a fun and unique dining experience to the people of the city.
Our Chicken Burgers Are the Best in The Business
“We are very excited for Londoners and visitors from across the UK to come try our famous chicken burger. Don’t let the price fool you – we are confident this is the best chicken burger in London. I could talk all day about the quality and care we put into each burger, but instead, we’ve set the price at £3.99 so our customers can easily taste the quality and decide for themselves. They won’t be disappointed!” Adam Parkinson, Business Head for Jollibee Europe
Jollibee’s chicken burgers feature a quality chicken breast, hand-breaded by Jollibee’s team in-store to ensure the burger is super crispy and fresh, then smothered with Jollibee’s specially in-store prepared garlic mayo, decorated with fresh crunchy Lollo Bionda lettuce and arranged in a perfectly toasted brioche bun.
Launching in line with the Leicester Square opening, Jollibee will introduce its brand-new Spicy Chicken Burger to all restaurants across the UK and Europe in May. The latest menu addition is marinated using a special spicy recipe and then coated with fiery breading for extra-hot crunch that will be sure to heat up the chicken competition!
Exclusive to the UK and a team favourite, Jollibee’s Leicester Square menu will also include the Tropical Chicken Burger. It’s a brioche bun packed with a crispy fried chicken breast, pineapple, cheese, lettuce and Asian Ginger Chilli Sauce. Pineapple in a burger? Yes, it’s the key ingredient and brings the tropical flavours of South East Asia to Jollibee’s UK menu.
The UK Spends 1.2bn On Quick-Service Chicken Per Year
“The past year has been tough on the restaurant industry across the world, but Jollibee remains on track for continued growth across the UK and Europe. With restaurants allowed to serve customers inside from 17th May, we know the London community is keen to return to socialising with friends and sharing great food. Our Leicester Square restaurant is a fantastic place for our customers to spend time, try out our delicious menu and just relax – something I think the whole country is craving right now.” Adam Parkinson, Business Head for Jollibee Europe
The brand’s long-term plans are to establish Jollibee as a household name in the UK. For Jollibee, the UK is clearly a key market for expansion – the British spend a whopping €1.2 billion on quick-service chicken per year (compared to €652 million in Germany and €700 million in France).
Small Family Business to Fast-Food Powerhouse
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 March 31, 2021.
The brand has many accolades to its name, including the “best international restaurant chain” by US-based food and lifestyle website, Thrillist.
Famously, the late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, referred to Jollibee as the “wackiest, jolliest place on Earth” in his hit CNN food and travel documentary show, Parts Unknown.
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.
