After much anticipation from the local community, the homegrown restaurant brand Jollibee opened its European flagship restaurant in London’s West End to hundreds of customers on opening day. The first customers lined up for seven hours before the doors opened to be first in line to taste the brand’s Chickenjoy, Jolly Spaghetti, and Chicken Burgers, which Jollibee is famous for around the world.
Jollibee’s debut in London West End exceeded opening day sales records from its recent Leeds, Leicester City, and Liverpool openings, and sold over 4,000 pieces of Chickenjoy in its first day alone. Half of the customers were local Londoners wanting a taste of Jollibee’s bestseller menu.
By 9:30AM, approximately 300 people were waiting for the doors to open. The Ambassador of the Philippines Antonio M. Lagdameo attended the opening, cutting the ribbon alongside Business Head of Jollibee Europe Adam Parkinson.
“It is heartwarming to see the long lines of customers at Jollibee’s London West End opening,” said Ernesto Tanmantiong, CEO of Jollibee Group. “We are excited to welcome our British customers along with our Filipino guests to our latest restaurant, where they can enjoy our unique and popular food offerings. We also look forward to continuously expanding our brand footprint in UK’s GBP 1.2 billion fried chicken market as we open more stores in the country and the rest of Europe.”
Jollibee’s launch queues are renowned around the world as its lines would start early – even days before and through extreme weather. The brand draws hundreds of chicken-lovers to its openings and is excited to welcome even more British customers through its doors. Jollibee is now open in four cities across the U.K. – London, Liverpool, Leeds, and Leicester – and is planning six further launches before the end of 2021.
“Opening in London’s West End, right at the heart of London, is a very proud moment for Jollibee in the U.K. Leicester Square in London’s West End is 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. We look forward to serving our bestselling Chickenjoy and other Jollibee favorites to more Londoners in the West End,” said Dennis Flores, President of Jollibee Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia.
“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 U.K. We are bringing a premium fast-casual dining experience to London all at affordable prices, providing young millennials, Gen-Z, and our loyal fans a fun and joyous restaurant to share great food and social moments,” said Adam Parkinson, Business Head for Jollibee Europe.
London’s chicken lovers have long awaited a restaurant like Jollibee to open in the area. Jollibee answered their calls, making its West End branch the only fried chicken joint within a 10-minute walk from the Leicester Square station.
On top of its bestseller products, Jollibee also debuted its brand-new Spicy Chicken Burger to all its branches across the U.K. and Europe. The latest menu addition is marinated using a special spicy recipe and then coated with fiery breading for extra-hot crunch. Exclusive to the U.K., Jollibee’s West End menu will also include a Tropical Chicken Burger, made with a brioche bun and packed with a crispy fried chicken breast, pineapple, cheese, lettuce, and Asian Ginger Chilli Sauce.
The Jollibee West End Opening is part of the brand’s push to open 50 stores in 5 years in Europe, and in line with its vision to become among the top five restaurant companies in the world.
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