Jollibee Canada attracts massive crowd
Popular fast-food chain Jollibee opened its first store in Canada’s Alberta province on Friday, 16 August, to the excitement of thousands of fans who lined up as early as three days in advance to get a first taste. Prior to the restaurant’s front doors opening at 7 a.m., approximately 500 customers were already in line, ready with an array of #ItsOurTurn signs to show their enthusiasm for the home of the famous Chickenjoy finally arriving in their province.
Twenty-six-year-old Jordan Haworth, the first customer to fall in line, waited for a record three days before the store opened to the public — and he had never even tried Jollibee before. Haworth shared, “When I first set up camp outside Jollibee with my mat and fold-out chair, a few people approached me and asked if what I was doing was real or a stunt. I shared with them that I was inspired by my mom who travelled to the Philippines years ago and used to rave about Jollibee when she came home. My mom joined me as the second person in line and it was such a special feeling to be able to experience this with her. When the doors opened and I bit into my first piece of ‘Chickenjoy,’ I totally understood what all of the hype was about.”
Jollibee fans traveled from as far as Nova Scotia, a nine-hour flight to Edmonton, to get a taste of 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. Additional fan-favorite items on opening day included “Jolly Spaghetti,” with its signature sweet-style sauce loaded with chunky slices of savory ham and hotdog, and “Peach Mango Pie” made with real Philippine mangoes enveloped with a flaky golden-brown crust.
“We are thrilled to have arrived in Alberta and are humbled by the enthusiasm we’ve felt from the local community,” said Maribeth de la Cruz, president of Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) North America Philippine Brands. “Alberta has watched as we’ve opened stores in Winnipeg and the Greater Toronto Area over the past few years and the people here can finally say, ‘It’s Our Turn!’”
The new Edmonton location marks Jollibee’s 5th location in Canada as the chain pursues its goal to grow to 100 stores in the country in five years. The brand plans to open its next store in Calgary by this September, making it the second store to open in the Alberta province.
Jollibee is the flagship brand of Jollibee Foods Corporation’s 14 brands. JFC is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing Asian restaurant companies with more than 4,500 stores in 21 countries.
We are thrilled to have arrived in Alberta and are humbled by the enthusiasm we’ve felt from the local community.