Jollibee
The Philippine chain that beat McDonald’s at home, with sweet spaghetti on the side.
About Jollibee
Tony Tan Caktiong opened an ice cream parlour in Quezon City in 1975, noticed that customers kept ordering the hot food instead, and turned it into Jollibee in 1978. When McDonald’s arrived in the Philippines in 1981, Jollibee did something most local chains failed to do: it won, by cooking for Filipino tastes rather than copying American ones.
That means sweeter burgers, fried chicken served with rice and gravy, and Jolly Spaghetti with a sweet sauce, hot dog slices and ham. Jollibee is now a national symbol and a major global company that also owns Smashburger, and Filipinos abroad queue for hours when a new branch opens.
Around 1,700 stores, more than 400 of them outside the Philippines, from Vietnam to Canada and the UK.
Burger menu
Signature burgers first. Only burgers and sandwiches, no sides.Jollibee on YouTube
Copycats, taste tests and challenges from the channels in the encyclopedia.
If you like Jollibee
Chains whose signature burgers are built the same way.- Frank Burger (South Korea, since 2019). South Korea’s biggest craft-burger chain, grilling American-style patties to order alongside bulgogi and hanwoo burgers. Also built on beef.
- Freshness Burger (Japan, since 1992). Tokyo’s relaxed burger café, famous for a yellow bun made with pumpkin. Also built on beef.
- Minute Burger (Philippines, since 1982). The Philippine burger kiosk where every order comes as Buy 1 Take 1. Also built on beef.
- Wat-a-Burger (India, since 2016). “India ka Burger”: aloo tikki, paneer and tandoori makhani burgers from Noida. Also built on beef.
Not affiliated with Jollibee. Trademarks and logos belong to their owners. Descriptions are my own; nutrition figures come from the chain’s published information.