Long queue greets opening of Jollibee’s Europe flagship store in London

Hundreds of customers queued for the opening day of homegrown fast-food giant Jollibee’s European flagship store in London’s West End on Friday, May 20, after much anticipation from the local community.

In a statement, Jollibee said 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 Burgers.

The debut in London West End exceeded opening day sales records from its recent Leeds, Leicester City, and Liverpool openings, and sold over four thousand pieces of Chickenjoy in its first day alone, the fast-food company said.

Half of the customers were local Londoners wanting a taste of Jollibee’s bestseller menu.

By 9:30 a.m. of the opening day, approximately 300 people were waiting for the doors to open.

The Ambassador of the Philippines Antonio 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 the UK's GBP1.2 billion fried chicken market as we open more stores in the country and the rest of Europe,” Tanmantiong added.

Jollibee said it is now open in four cities across the United Kingdom: London, Liverpool, Leeds, and Leicester. It is planning six more launches before the end of 2021.

The Jollibee West End opening is part of the brand’s push to open 50 stores in five years in Europe, and in line with its vision to become among the top five restaurant companies in the world. — DVM, GMA News