Warm welcome for Jollibee

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This article was published 19/12/2016 (3215 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeggers are lining up to try something new at Canada’s first-ever Jollibee restaurant.

The new store opened to the public at 1406 Ellice Ave. on Dec. 15 to a lineup of approximately 500 people, says Jollibee Foods Corporation’s group president for North America, Jose Miñana.

“It’s pretty cold here but the warm welcome we’re experiencing here is just phenomenal,”
Miñana said on the morning of the opening.

The Filipino joint serves burgers, spaghetti, breakfast and its signature fried chicken. Jollibee is overwhelmingly popular in the Philippines with a total of 1,111 stores compared to 67 Burger King and eight Dunkin’ Donuts locations.

“Some people have been expecting this a couple of years ago and we’ve been trying to get the best place and were fortunate enough to find a great location here in Winnipeg,” Miñana said. “Together with the demographics of Winnipeg with the highest density of Filipinos here, and we heard that Winnipeg really likes to try new food and to eat, and plus the booming growth of the economy here, I think it just felt like the best and right timing for us to open in Winnipeg.”

According to the 2011 census, Winnipeg has a Filipino population of 56,400, or 8.7 per cent of the total population. Miñana said this is the community that has been asking and hoping for a Jollibee to find a home in Winnipeg, but that all Winnipeggers will enjoy the food, and the experience.

“It’s really quite universal,” Miñana said. “We pride ourselves on our products… We’ve been hearing from some non-Filipinos who have been here already, saying they’re enjoying it.
“The products speak for themselves but one thing is we also bring the Jollibee brand of service. It’s very festive, very cheerful, and over here the atmosphere is almost like a grand reunion of friends and family, so lots of reasons to come over here and experience what we’re experiencing right now… it’s more than just the food.”

Miñana said their crispy chicken is a bestseller, while the spaghetti and peach mango pie are other favourites.

“We’d like to invite everybody here in Winnipeg to come over here,” Miñana said. “We’ve been hoping and planning for this and finally today it’s a reality. Don’t let the cold stop you from getting the nice, hot food that Jollibee has over here.”