Fastfood chain operator Jollibee Foods Corp. plans to have five stores in Guam over the next five years, its top executive said over the weekend.
“As a growing business center and an island of incredible diversity and taste, Guam will make a great home for Jollibee,” JFC chief executive Ernesto Tanmantiong said in a statement.
“The customers that keep coming back are truly heartwarming. We are very excited to be here, and are looking forward to what lies in store as we grow to five stores over the next five years,” he said.
JFC on Saturday inaugurated its first Jollibee store in Guam which had a soft opening in April.
More than a thousand customers waited to get a taste of their Jollibee favorites during the soft opening. The long queue of customers continued even weeks after the opening.
The Guam store is the 38th Jollibee branch in the United States. Most of the Jollibee stores are located in New York, Florida, Texas, California and Hawaii.
“As we grow our business in Guam, we are excited to contribute to the local economy through employment. In fact, 100 percent of our staff at our store in Guam are locals and permanent residents of Guam,” said Dennis Flores, JFC president and head of international business for Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia.
“Beyond employment, we look forward to serving more delicious food, and in our own way, spreading the joy of eating to everyone with our warm and friendly service,” he said.
The food company also announced a year-long partnership with non-profit organization Mañe’lu in line with its commitment to strengthen ties locally.
JFC today operates in 21 countries, with 14 brands and 4,500 stores including 1,300 under the Jollibee brand.
Jollibee group is already one of the largest fast food restaurant chains in Brunei and has overtaken its competitors in Vietnam as the fastest growing quick service restaurant chain with over 100 stores.
JFC committed to grow to 150 stores in the United States and 100 stores in Canada in five years.
It also announced plans to open 50 stores in Europe over the next five years, with 25 in the United Kingdom.