DUBAI: Jollibee ended the workweek with a bang as it opened its 4th branch in the city today, Thursday, Aug. 4. The outlet is located in Al Ghurair Center on Rigga, Deira.
The event started with the official ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Jollibee UAE franchisee Hisham Al Gurg and business partner Hala Badri with Philippine Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes and his wife, Yasmin.
“I feel excited and more importantly, I am happy that we are getting closer to the Filipino community. For a long time, people have asked us to open here because a lot of Filipinos live in this area,” Al Gurg told The Filipino Times.
He also added that a follow-up store in Deira City Centre food court is already in discussion, while branches in Mushrif Mall, Abu Dhabi and Satwa, Dubai are already on its final stages.
Badri said they are also looking forward to add more food items on the current menu.
She said they are already in talks with Jollibee Philippines about bringing some of the most-loved menu like the breakfast meals and other new product innovations. She added that part of their discussion is bringing Jollibee’s Kiddie Land in Dubai.
The restaurant launched its first UAE store in Dubai Mall last year, its 1,000th outlet worldwide. On February 28, 2016 they opened their second branch in MOE; the third branch opened in BurJuman Centre on April 13.
UAE netizens were quick to react to Jollibee’s Al Ghurair branch opening as posted on The Filipino Times Facebook page.
Jameelah Blanche, tagged her friends on the post and said, “Hataw na!! See you later hehe Sigurado pilahan ‘to!”
Geraldine Coprada Balbanida anticipated the hassle in the evening saying, “Maaga pa konti palang tao after work gabi lagot haba pila nyan.”
Jollibee is the largest fast food chain in the Philippines, operating a nationwide network of more than 900 stores, according to the company’s website. Its share of the market in the Philippines is greater than that of all multinational brands combined.
It has over 80 stores outside the Philippines, including eight in Saudi Arabia, three in Qatar and one in Kuwait, according to its website. Jollibee has 29 stores in the U.S and recently added few more branches in Singapore, which soon enough became its top outlet globally.
The Manila-based quick-service restaurant chain, founded in 1978, has become an icon of Filipino fast food.
