Photo from bubblenews.com You are a true-blooded Filipino if you know this huge red bee with a huge smile and is always seen dancing along with kids. Of course, it’s Jollibee!
Almost all Filipinos share a part of their childhood in Jollibee – eating there with their families, collecting the toys, and going to the playground. These memories stayed for many years, passed on to generations, and eventually became part of the Filipino culture.
Almost all Filipinos share a part of their childhood in Jollibee – eating there with their families, collecting the toys, and going to the playground. These memories stayed for many years, passed on to generations, and eventually became part of the Filipino culture.
The original Jollibee mascots (Photo from filipiknow.net)
Its superior-tasting Jollibee Chicken Joy is probably the most sought after product along with their menu line-up of delicious food – Yum Burger, Jolly Spaghetti, Fiesta Palabok, Sundaes, among others.
Remember the mascots that we’ve all loved as kids? Jollibee has characters that match every food it serves. Apart from the happy bee we all adore, there’s also Mr. Yum representing our favorite burgers, Popo for french fries, Hetty for spaghetti, and the stylish Twirlie for sundaes and other Jollibee desserts. These are the faces that kids love to watch in Jollitown, a children’s television program launched in 2008.
Back in the day, there were actually nine of them – Chickee, the white hen which represents Chickenjoy; Lady Moo and Mico for milkshakes; and the boxer Champ for the Champ Premium hamburger. Unfortunately, some of these mascots had to say goodbye to make way for Jollibee’s product expansion.
Remember the mascots that we’ve all loved as kids? Jollibee has characters that match every food it serves. Apart from the happy bee we all adore, there’s also Mr. Yum representing our favorite burgers, Popo for french fries, Hetty for spaghetti, and the stylish Twirlie for sundaes and other Jollibee desserts. These are the faces that kids love to watch in Jollitown, a children’s television program launched in 2008.
Back in the day, there were actually nine of them – Chickee, the white hen which represents Chickenjoy; Lady Moo and Mico for milkshakes; and the boxer Champ for the Champ Premium hamburger. Unfortunately, some of these mascots had to say goodbye to make way for Jollibee’s product expansion.
To know more interesting facts about Jollibee, click here.
Jollibee is a modern-day Filipino pride. No matter how many restaurants or food chains you’ve been to, there’s always something about Jollibee that makes you want to come back again and again. You find yourself eating there with your family, friends, or co-workers, and even avail of their party package and see the mascots. No matter how busy you are, you always find yourself making an option to either have a delivery, a take-out, or to order via drive-thru at a Jollibee outlet.
Jollibee claims that their “tried and tested formula of delivering great-tasting food, adherence to world class operating standards and the universal appeal of the family values the brand represents” are what drives the huge expansion of Jollibee both locally and in the overseas market. Not to mention their family-oriented and feel-good advertisements which are very effective on Filipinos.
With over 750 stores nationwide and almost 80 stores outside the Philippines, it is the largest and leading food chain in the country and has been dubbed “No. 1” in catering to the taste of the Filipinos worldwide.
In an article published in The Economist, Tony Tan mentioned that the adorable red bee mascot represents Filipino spirit: hard-working, optimistic, and most of all, jolly. Bees, by nature, are hard-working insects who always strive to get honey or the sweetest things that life could offer. And just like a typical working Filipino, bees are happy even though they’re busy”. No wonder we’ve always loved that happy red bee.
Little do Filipinos know that this huge fast food empire also had its humble beginnings.
Tony Tan Caktiong, founder and former CEO of Jollibee, was born and raised in a poor family from Southeastern China who migrated to the Philippines. His father had put up a family restaurant profitable enough to allow him to pursue a degree in chemical engineering at University of Santo Tomas in Manila.
Inspired by a school tour in an ice cream plant, Caktiong was only 22 years old when he grabbed a franchising opportunity with Magnolia Dairy Ice Cream and built two ice cream parlors in Quezon City. Eventually, he noticed that customers request more of hot meals and sandwiches so he added them to the menu. They soon grew to be more in-demand than the ice cream.
Years later, in 1978, he decided to discontinue the Magnolia franchise and take on this development, converting his ice cream parlors into fast food outlets. With the aid of smart marketing and advertising strategies, Jollibee has become so popular in the Philippines.
Jollibee claims that their “tried and tested formula of delivering great-tasting food, adherence to world class operating standards and the universal appeal of the family values the brand represents” are what drives the huge expansion of Jollibee both locally and in the overseas market. Not to mention their family-oriented and feel-good advertisements which are very effective on Filipinos.
With over 750 stores nationwide and almost 80 stores outside the Philippines, it is the largest and leading food chain in the country and has been dubbed “No. 1” in catering to the taste of the Filipinos worldwide.
In an article published in The Economist, Tony Tan mentioned that the adorable red bee mascot represents Filipino spirit: hard-working, optimistic, and most of all, jolly. Bees, by nature, are hard-working insects who always strive to get honey or the sweetest things that life could offer. And just like a typical working Filipino, bees are happy even though they’re busy”. No wonder we’ve always loved that happy red bee.
Little do Filipinos know that this huge fast food empire also had its humble beginnings.
Tony Tan Caktiong, founder and former CEO of Jollibee, was born and raised in a poor family from Southeastern China who migrated to the Philippines. His father had put up a family restaurant profitable enough to allow him to pursue a degree in chemical engineering at University of Santo Tomas in Manila.
Inspired by a school tour in an ice cream plant, Caktiong was only 22 years old when he grabbed a franchising opportunity with Magnolia Dairy Ice Cream and built two ice cream parlors in Quezon City. Eventually, he noticed that customers request more of hot meals and sandwiches so he added them to the menu. They soon grew to be more in-demand than the ice cream.
Years later, in 1978, he decided to discontinue the Magnolia franchise and take on this development, converting his ice cream parlors into fast food outlets. With the aid of smart marketing and advertising strategies, Jollibee has become so popular in the Philippines.
Photo from Forbes.com “From a rather crude, strange-looking bee that no bank dared to touch back in 1978, Jollibee and his cheeky smile today have become synonymous with a truly Filipino success story that is now a source of patriotic pride. It is estimated that the Jollibee brand is now worth several billion pesos”, said Tony Tan in an interview for WIPO.
For more than three decades, Caktiong has built up the biggest food empire in the country – Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC). As of now, it has over 50% market share and has acquired several food businesses nationwide.
Aside from Jollibee which is their core fast food business, JFC also owns Greenwich (pizza and pasta chain), Mang Inasal (Filipino food chain), Chowking (oriental fast food chain), Red Ribbon (bakeshop outlet), among others. With this, Tony Tan Caktiong is listed as the 11th richest man in the Philippines according to Forbes. (View full Forbes article here. )
For more than three decades, Caktiong has built up the biggest food empire in the country – Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC). As of now, it has over 50% market share and has acquired several food businesses nationwide.
Aside from Jollibee which is their core fast food business, JFC also owns Greenwich (pizza and pasta chain), Mang Inasal (Filipino food chain), Chowking (oriental fast food chain), Red Ribbon (bakeshop outlet), among others. With this, Tony Tan Caktiong is listed as the 11th richest man in the Philippines according to Forbes. (View full Forbes article here. )
Photo from pinayads.com It’s heart-warming to know how great is the loyalty of Jollibee to its Filipino customers – slowly reaching out to the millions of OFWs across the globe. Now Filipinos can still experience the taste of home even when they’re outside of the country.
Jollibee is now a growing international fast food brand with around 80 stores outside the Philippines: USA (26), Vietnam (32), Brunei (11), Jeddah (7), Qatar, Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuwait (1 each). Few of their acquisitions are even franchised abroad as well.
Inside any Jollibee outlet, you can see families or groups of customers taking pictures – all of them wearing happy faces. This and the very sight of a toddler reaching out to hug Jollibee’s life-size statue outside suggests that Jollibee is going to stay in Filipinos’ hearts for a long time.
**This is a Cultural Feature Article I wrote for our JOURN 103 (Feature Writing) Class. Hope you enjoyed reading!
Tell me what you think and leave a comment below. :)
Jollibee is now a growing international fast food brand with around 80 stores outside the Philippines: USA (26), Vietnam (32), Brunei (11), Jeddah (7), Qatar, Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuwait (1 each). Few of their acquisitions are even franchised abroad as well.
Inside any Jollibee outlet, you can see families or groups of customers taking pictures – all of them wearing happy faces. This and the very sight of a toddler reaching out to hug Jollibee’s life-size statue outside suggests that Jollibee is going to stay in Filipinos’ hearts for a long time.
**This is a Cultural Feature Article I wrote for our JOURN 103 (Feature Writing) Class. Hope you enjoyed reading!
Tell me what you think and leave a comment below. :)
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