Long lines greet Jollibee’s Spain debut

Philippine fast-food giant Jollibee’s opening of its first store in Spain was greeted with long queues by both Filipinos and Spanish locals.

LOOK: Long lines greeted the opening of Jollibee’s first store in Spain. The store is located at Puerta del Sol square along Calle Arenal - one of Madrid’s busiest thoroughfares. pic.twitter.com/iYymY0YaO0

— Ted Cordero (@Ted_Cordero) September 24, 2021

Jollibee opened its store located at Puerta del Sol along Calle Arenal in Madrid on September 23.

On Saturday, the homegrown fast-food brand unveiled the look of its first store in Spain.

LOOK: Jollibee unveils the look of its store in Puerta del Sol in Madrid. This is the home-grown fast-food giant’s first restaurant in Spain.

Jollibee Madrid branch is set to open on September 23. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/5npoV4xyiK

— Ted Cordero (@Ted_Cordero) September 18, 2021

In a statement on Friday, Jollibee said the Madrid store opening was among its biggest in Europe, “with thousands of customers greeting the opening and the queue starting at 10 p.m. the previous day.”

The fast-food brand’s debut in Spain comes as Jollibee expands its current network of more than 1,400 restaurants worldwide, including cities such as New York, Rome, London, Los Angeles, Dubai, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

The Madrid store is also part of the brand’s intent to have 50 stores in Europe in the next five years with an investment of €50 million, €10 million of which will go to Spain.

Jollibee said its Madrid store is the brand's largest restaurant in Europe, with a capacity of about 200 diners, and showcases new design features, including a full-size indoor palm tree in a large two-storey dining room.

"Our entry into Spain is a major milestone in Jollibee's history and our international expansion. The heartwarming reception to our opening in Spain inspires us in our journey to bring our much-loved Chickenjoy to more countries in Europe, and is in line with our vision to become among the top five restaurant companies in the world,” said Ernesto Tanmantiong, CEO of Jollibee Group.

For his part, Dennis Flores, president of Jollibee Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia (EMEAA) said, “Our first restaurant in Madrid is an important step in our European expansion, especially as we grow Spain into one of our core markets in the region. With our delicious food, friendly prices, and warm service, we hope to continue enticing more locals to love our food just as we see in other countries across EMEAA."

Customers in Madrid were able to try Jollibee's fan favorites, including its world-famous Chickenjoy, according to the fast-food company.

“Fans were also excited to try Jollibee Europe's emerging bestsellers, such as the new Spicy Chicken Burger, Sriracha Chicken Loaded Fries, and the popular Tropical Chicken Burger - delicately crafted with a breaded chicken breast topped with cheese, lettuce, slightly spicy Chili Ginger sauce, and a slice of pineapple for a unique twist,” it said.

The Madrid restaurant introduces Jollibee's brand redesign for European customers to Spain, aiming to create a memorable experience with bright graphics, bold wall murals, and tiles inspired by woven fabrics.

Unique to the Madrid restaurant is a life-sized palm tree adorning its double-height central dining space – something not seen in any other Jollibee restaurant in the region.

To ensure a safe experience for customers, the restaurant features take-out pick-up areas, digital kiosks to facilitate transactions, and hand-washing stations, Jollibee said.—AOL, GMA News