Jollibee opens store in Times Square, New York

Homegrown fast-food giant Jollibee Group has opened its flagship store in Times Square, New York City on Thursday. 

In a statement, Jollibee Group said its store in Times Square is its fourth location in the state of New York. 

This is in line with the group’s plan to grow its presence in the United States and Canada with 500 stores in the next five to seven years. 

Jollibee Group said the opening day of its Times Square store was welcomed by hundreds of customers who started lining up as early as 8:30 p.m. the previous day. 

Jollibee opens first store in Times Square, New York City. pic.twitter.com/tyaSUVVUjT

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The new Times Square store is located in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City, which is among the busiest commercial and entertainment hubs in the world, it said. 

"We are grateful to receive such a warm welcome from locals and tourists as we open our newest store in New York City. As a convergence point for so many people around the world, opening in Times Square signifies an important milestone in Jollibee’s journey to spread the joy of eating to everyone, and the Jollibee Group’s vision to become one of the world’s top five restaurant companies," said Jollibee Group president and CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong.

Alongside its popular Chickenjoy fried chicken, Jollibee Times Square also offers other crowd favorites, including the sweet-style Jolly Spaghetti and Peach Mango Pie, which is made of a crispy and flaky shell filled with real mango and peach. 

"Our milestone opening here in Times Square and our continued expansion across North America [were] made possible by the continued support from our fans who have been with us since day one," said Maribeth Dela Cruz, Jollibee Group’s president for Philippine Brands in North America. 

"We are glad to see how much our fan base has grown to include people of diverse tastes and backgrounds, and we can’t wait to serve them our Chickenjoy fried chicken here in Times Square." —VBL, GMA News