Live in the Philippines

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Mixed reaction

Food/Drink, Video / by

Well, it was bound to happen, and it did!

Over the past few years, Jollibee has been opening branches in the United States (and elsewhere around the world as well).  I think everybody on this site knows who/what Jollibee is, but just in case… Jollibee is the Filipino fast food powerhouse, sort of the Philippine version of McDonald’s.  In fact, in the Philippines, whenever you see McDonald’s there is likely a Jollibee right next door!  Of course the reverse is true too… if you see a Jollibee, that means there is probably a McDonald’s just around the corner, if not right next door!  The two companies are strong competitors.  Here in the Philippines, Jollibee is the winner in head to head competition, though, McDonald’s is always running second in terms of popularity.

Well, as I said, it was bound to happen.  That’s right, with Jollibee moving into the American market, an American website decided to do a review of their food!  Website Buzzfeed went out and bought a variety of Jollibee food and had their staffers give it an on-camera try and a bit of a review.

What did you think of their review?  Probably the one that made me laugh the most was the review of the Halo Halo.  We really don’t have anything like Halo Halo in the USA.  I mean it’s a dessert with beans, corn and such in it?  I have to admit, when I saw Halo Halo for the first time, I sort of freaked out myself.  Sort of a dessert that is built on savory ingredients?  Strange to the max.  But, it is super popular.

The spicy fried chicken seemed to get the very best review, most everybody liked it, but a lot of people, I think, were surprised at just how spicy it was.

What do you think?  Will Jollibee become a juggernaut in the US marketplace?  Will it rival McDonald’s?  I am not talking about a juggernaut in the Filipino community, no, I mean will Jollibee dominate among non-Filipinos?  Will the average American even go in and give Jollibee a try?  Well, I think probably not, but you never know!  What if Jollibee became an overnight phenomenal success in the USA?  That might get some Americans to consider traveling to the Philippines to see what else is “on the menu”.

I just wonder what they would have thought if they tried the sweet spaghetti?  Maybe they tried it and the reactions were not appropriate for a family video! 🙂

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bob,

    I drive 3 hours every 2 months to jersey city to get my wife and her sister jollibee , max of Manila and red ribbon. I will say it is way better in the philippines than it is here. My wife believes it is because the chickens are not fresh and have many chemicals compared to the philippines. It will never go main stream because to many options. In fact every country seems to have brought in a mix of fried chicken chains to the US

  2. Sir Robert;
    The Jollibee will always be number one in the Philippines as it was designed to satisfy the Filipino Taste Buds. On the Discovery Channel they had a show discussing the origins of the company and the fact that ground pork was mixed with ground beef to give it the flavor that the Pinoy loves.
    In the US you cannot mix it like that, so the stateside Jollibee will never taste like the one sold here. There has been a Jollibee’s for over 20 years on Guam and is very popular, but in the morning the MacDo’s down the street is full of older Pinoy’s drinking coffee and gabbing away.
    But the Jollibee’s Fried Chicken is the best I’ve ever had at a Fast Food joint.

  3. As Paul says, Jollibee is made for Filipino taste, I don’t think it will be a hit in US.

    Some of the menus are with Rice and a gravy that’s too sweet for most other people than Filipinos.

    When it comes to Halo-Halo i rest my case, i just don’t fancy that strange combination, that’s to weird for me 🙂

    I didn’t know they mix ground pork and ground beef, that’s new to me, but explain the “different” taste.

    Even if they won’t mix meat in US, the taste will not be the same. Beef meat tastes different no matter where you go, it depends on how they feed the cows. McD says it’s the same taste no matter where you eat their burgers, but it isn’t.

    At least i think it’s fine that a local Food chain can beat the big international chains.

    • Hi Axel, the Filipino community in the USA is huge, and jollibee is opening in areas where their loyal customers live. They will do fine in the States.

      • Yes, i forgot there’s a lot of Filipinos living in US. They will for sure be happy and support Jollibee. But it won’t be enough to compete with MacD – in US. At least a lot of Filipinos abroad will be happy 🙂

        PS..Jollibee isn’t bad at all, It is very seldom i eat fast food, but when it happens i go to Jollibee instead of MacD. 2 Reasons: it taste just as fine and i support a local business,

  4. McDonalds and Burger King’s popularity seem to be fading in my part of the world around Northern Virginia, it seems to me. I drive past a few of them almost daily, many times around the noon hour, and very few cars in the parking lots it seems. Drive past a Chick-Fil-A and you can barely get in the parking lots, except on Sunday, when they dont open. It may not be this way in other parts of the US, but the areas I travel I have sure noticed it the last few years.

    Just curious, do they have Arbys over there, I have never seen one, but my travels there are quite limited.

      • Bob,
        Arbys used to be in the Philippines inthe 1990’s. They are owned by the same company that owns Wendy’s. A fast food drive in that would be neat to see here is Sonic with girls delivering your food to you on roller skates. 2 newer restaurants I wouldn’t mind seeing here are Square One Burgers and Red Robin. They have a good variety of burgers made of different kinds of meat and some with exotic meats.

        • Hi PapaDuck, I used to like Arbys and would love to see them here. I used to live in Louisiana and Sonic was popular there. Imagine a Filipina serving you at Sonic. Ha Ha.

          • The sonic down the street from where I work here in vegas is all most all Piony girls. I make it a point to stop by once a month 🙂

            Ps dont tell they wife she thinks its just for the food.

  5. Normally I wouldn’t be caught dead in a Jolllibee or any other fast food establishment HOWEVER, living in the Philippines I sometimes crave mashed potatoes and they are hard to find here and then one day Lynn mentioned that Jollibee has good mashed potatoes. I said what you gotta be kidding and then I tried them and I have been a fan ever since of their mashed. Now please don’t anyone tell me they are artificial and have like no potatoes in them at all LOL I will be crushed

  6. Hi Bob ,, You mentioned sweet spaghetti ,, after all its just pasta like macaroni ,,, my mum has baked macaroni pudding as long as I can remember ,,,just like rice pudding,,,
    I remember the first time I had Macaroni Cheese in 1964 ,, my Dad and Uncle worked at the Heinz Factory and they gave out a complementary packs for the workers to try ,,, look how popular that is today ,,, just like Pumpkin Pie ,, Australians have never eaten it as a sweet ,, its been a staple vegetable here along with potato here since the year Dot ,,

    • Hi Russell, the things you mentioned like rice pudding or bread pudding are desserts, so they are sweet, of course. But eating sugar sweet food as my main course is not for me. Of course, I have no problem if others like it and want to eat it I just don’t care for it myself.

  7. Bob – When I first come to Philippines I couldn’t help but think how bad Jolibee was. Bad tasting sauces etc. Jolibee is well designed for the filipino taste. My understanding is you can cook a delicious meal in the Philippines if you use lots of sugar and salt + masarap, filipinos love it. Lol. To succeed in America they would need to adapt their menu to accommodate the American. Just like how McDonalds adjusts for each country. On a separate point, Jolibee’s mascot is more attractive than Ronald and the crew.

  8. I’m not overly fond of fast food joints in general. Marlyn prefers Max chicken. What I’ve had there was fried down to shoe leather. I’ll make an exception for halo-halo. I like the stuff. But the best I’ve had wasn’t at Jolibee. It was from the kids at the little sari-sari attached to the rice mill near my Mother-in-Laws’ place. They didn’t make it to order. Just whenever they felt like it, they’d make up a batch. Then they’d yell HALO-HALO!! We had to race against all the neighborhood kids to get any of it.

    Take care,
    Pete

  9. Bob,

    Jolibee has just opened in Houston Texas. They wisely located near the medical center where many Filipina nurses work. My wife and I have been there several times and there is usually a good crowd. Most all are Filipinos though, except for all we Americans who were lucky enough to marry Filipinas. I can’t tell any difference in the menu or taste from the Philippines, though our son who grew up in Leyte and just arrived a few months ago says the chicken tastes different. Keep up the good work.

    • Ah, that is a good strategy, rickey, locating near the medical center. Lots of Filipina nurses, a sure fire customer!

      Thanks for your kind words, rickey, and keep enjoying your Jollibee! 🙂

  10. I like their coffee, thick shakes and the chicken’s ok too. Not too keen on their meat patties and forget the sweet spaghetti!! Far too sweet for Western tastes. 🙁

      • A study i read a few years back that Harvard Business Review did on McDonalds showed that the average patron doesn’t like change, just uniformity. So as boring as McDonald’s is, its a part of its success, go figure.

  13. I don’t think it will be a big hit here, accept in the areas where there is a large Filipino population. I have seen one open in San Francisco , then close, then re open a year later and then close again in the same spot. There was a large population of Filipinos where it opened. Anyway, I am leaving for Cagayan De Oro tomorrow.

  14. I LOVE Jollibees! Think it is better than McD’s. I love the Corned beef hash breakfast Had my first Jollibees meal at Terminal 2 at 3:30 am waiitng for my Cebu flight and been hooked since.. Just wished there was one closer to me in Portland. Have to go to the Tacoma area or go to California. The sweet taste is what a lot of foods in America are aiming at.. Just take your kids there a few times and they will be hooked.

    • Ha ha.. I’m glad we found at least one American who is high on Jollibee! 🙂 I do admit that they have a few things that I think taste good.. one is the chicken. It’s not my favorite chicken, but it is good!

  15. I’m not really a fast food fan but when we visit the Philippines both in the city, and in the province we have to take numerous family members to Jollibee because they don’t get to go as much as they would like to.
    A couple of years ago when we were on a visit I had the most incredible urge for a hamburger so when we ended up at a Jollibee I ordered one. I don’t know what it was made of but it was terrible! It didn’t taste like any burger I’d ever had. Their eggs, corn beef and rice breakfast is pretty tasty though! It will be interesting to see how they do in the US.
    As for Halo Halo it’s the best! I don’t now how anyone could not like it. But to each their own, as they say.We found a lady that sets up a stand on a side road in a neighboring barangay on our visit a couple of months ago and we were there every couple of days. It got to the point that as she saw us zipping around the corner on the scooter her face would light up and she would start making two Halo halo’s for us. Hers were better than any we had in a restaurant!
    Good topic, it makes me miss being there.
    SteveC

  16. Bob, is it common in the states to eat fried chicken with bread? Before jolibee crew will ask you if you want bread or rice in your chicken joy? Until the bread was no longer serve , this was in the early 90s

  17. Bob,

    I have not experienced Jollibees anywhere! In addition, I have not tried a McDonalds in the Philippines. I would be very curious what Filippinos who live in the U.S. think of Jobillee over here as opposed to J-Mart over there?

    In addition, I would be equally curious as to what Americans think of Mc-Mart in the Philippines as opposed to in the U.S.?

    For those of you who have experienced J-Mart and Mc-Mart in both countries I’d love to know your opinion if one is better than the other or if they are the same?

    Truthfully speaking, I don’t like Mc-Mart anymore. I generally go to Arby’s or Culvers. Applebees is my favorite stomping grounds though.

    Bill

    • Imagine what is waiting for you when you come, Bill! You can even start a new website doing multi country Jollibee and McDo comparisons! Ha Ha. Inquiring minds and stomachs want to know.

      • haha Bob – I think I’ll pass on that one even though it’s generating some good convo! I think the kids over there will keep me busy!

        I can’t wait to get there! I’m excited!!!!

  26. Hi Bob

    I’ve got to say that we are not great fast food people but if I was to have anything it would be KFC as I love the flavour and they did mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, during the early part of my current stay, I did the dreaded bite into a drumstick and tasted blood. It obviously wasn’t cooked properly. I had a bad stomach for the best part of two weeks with the first few days being quite severe diarrhoea.

    As a consequence of the above I am a converted to Jollibee fried chicken on the rare occasion that we have it. It is always thoroughly cooked and quite tasty.

    It is the second time that myself or our family have had a bad experience with KFC in Davao, different outlets, so we prefer just not to take the chance anymore. It’s not happened every time though.

    As for the sweet spaghetti……….YUK! My wife’s family thought that was how spaghetti was supposed to taste until I cooked them a proper Bolognese one day. Now they are converted.

    Regards

    AJ UK

      • Just for clarity, I’ve had dodgy KFC in the Lucky Plaza area of Singapore. it’s not just the Davao branches.

        I wonder if their training lacks something.

  27. I go to Jollibees because my 5 year old son loves it and he also has a stuffed Jollibee. When we are at Jollibees, I have a coke and ice cream. I don’t like their food. It tastes horrible to me but that’s probably due to my American palate.

  28. All this talk is making me hungry. Okay, when I get there what’s the best dish I need to try first? Also, what non-alcoholic beverage is recommended? I’m going to be hungry when I get off that plane. haha

  31. Teaser! lol I loved the curry rice they have over in Japan. We used to line-up on the Base and wait for the soba truck to come around. That was good stuff!

  34. Personally don’t care for the “Bee” foods but haven’t tried their mashed potatoes . Usually go to the chicken chains like KFC for that . I do theorize , however that’s where all the decent size potatoes are going .. 🙂

  40. Howdy Bob,

    After being married to wonderful pinay for 40 years now, and making a gazzilion trips back there, to this day about the only thing I can lets just get down from JB’s is the coffee and chicken. The rest my palet refuses to accept as flavorfull. Here in the heartland we’ve seen countless filipino restaurants and stores open, hoping to bring a little slice of the mother country here. But every single one seems to have closed faster than you can say balikbayan taxi service. Now the idea of a “Sonic” in the philppines with cuties on skates rolling up to your car..woooohoooo that i could go for..haha

    John D

  41. Thankfully my wife is one of the few Filipinas who doesn’t like Jollibee, thinks the sauce tastes terrible. This saves me the two-hour drive to Jersey like many of the other husbands in the area have to make on a regular basis. As far as fast food goes, we both love Popeye’s Chicken.

    • Popeye’s is great chicken, no doubt on that, Brent. I also like their dirty rice! 🙂

      A Pinay that doesn’t like Jollibee? Never heard of such a thing!!

      • Popeye’s Chicken, now you’re talking!

        We always looked forward to our trips from Busan airport in South Korea because of the Popeye’s there. When you are limited to eating the Korean fried chicken Popeye’s is a major treat.

        Singapore has Popeye’s as well and , whilst being based there, we have made a couple of Sunday morning trips to the Singapore Flyer area purely for the Popeye’s there.

        Pag Ka Lami!

        • There used to be a couple Popeyes in Manila. For sure there was one at Green Hills Shopping Center. I haven’t been there in a long time, though, not sure if it still exists or not.

  42. Whatever JB puts in their hamburgers, I like them just as well as MDs. The only hamburger I’ve ever had that I couldn’t eat was at the Pearl Farm. The menu said the beef was “imported from Australia”….maybe it was kangaroo meat…..very bad.

  43. Jollibee played a big part in my deciding to visit The Philippines or not. I had been learning about Iligan City, a place I found by accident while websurfing. In looking at internet posted pics of it and learning about it there was a pic posted of Jollibee, Tibanga Branch. I looked at that pic every now and then and wondered what it would be like sitting in there eating burgers and watching things like Jeepneys, Trisikads, Kalesa, and other forms of transportation I had never seen before. One night I stared at that pic of Jollibee, Tibanga for about 15 minutes. The next day I was on the phone to my travel agent ” How do I get to Iligan City ? ” .

    In the mean time, I had read many other things about traveling to The Philippines including a couple of travel-Med websites with all kinds of precautions for new or first time visitors to a tropical climate country. So many precautions, don’t eat this, don’t drink that, peel your own veggies and fruit, don’t accept opened beverage bottles, . At first you would think you would have had to bring your own food !

    I did more research on Jollibee and felt that a business that big had a reputation to protect so I doubt they would take any chances serving an inferior product or not properly cooking and preparing it. Looking on their ( PH ) website at the menu I knew I could survive on that stuff for the duration of my first visit if I had to. Once again my plans were all ahead Go !

    The one person who gave me the best and most accurate advice before I visited for the first time was none other than Mindanao Bob ! I sent him an e mail about all these food precautions and he replied that if my digestion system was anywhere near normal, and use common sense, I should have no problem with the food there. Out of 7 visits, and lots of visits to quite a few Jollibee Locations plus many times more restaurants, catered affairs, etc. I never did have any digestion problems during my visits. I still don’t get ice cubes in chilled drinks unless I am assured it is from purified water. I only drink bottled water and make sure I hear the sealed cap crack when I open it, and I still do not eat from common street vendors.

    After the longest flight (s) I ever took, New York to Manila via Anchorage and Taipei to Manila to Cagayan De Oro and then a 90 minute ride to Iligan City, aquaintences that met me at the airport thought I would want to take a rest as soon as I got to the hotel. As soon as I got to my room, set the luggage down I said to my friends, Lets go to Jollibee !

    My wish from 2 years earlier had finally materialized and come true ! To me personally, Jollibee is a lot more than the food, a clean place with a fully functional, clean and well supplied CR ( rest room ) , more than the very attractive Filipinas behind the counter. To me, Jollibee is a state of mind, and a good one. Jollibee, Tibanga branch has from that point on always been my first and last food stop when I visit Iligan City, and a few more visits in between. I have even met and been with the famous Jollibee Mascott several times. That may sound a bit silly to some readers but if something like that can make me feel ” a few ” decades younger, whats wrong with that LOL. One thing for sure, at Jollibee they don’t ” Clown Around ” !

    • Hi Bob
      You probably remember that Anthony Bourdain had nothing but good things to say about Jollibee when he tried the burgers and halohalo
      For myself I like Jollibee because it feeds a sweet craving and I like the coke floats I think that Chowking’s halohalo is much better though

      I have a tattoo of Jollibee’s iconic face on my left knee. The kids here just love to see it.

      • Jollibee should pay you for promoting them, Queenie! Ha ha.. yes, when Bordain went to Jollibee in Los Angeles, he did have good things to say about them! You are correct on that!

        Hey, nice to hear from you, it’s been a while. I hope you are doing well.

        • Yes Bob
          Its been awhile was in the states addressing some health issues in the family and some work needed on our seaside house after Yolanda but we’re back in business now blessedly.
          Hope to now write more often now
          Queenie

          • Hi Queenie – Glad to hear that you got back in shape after Yolanda! That sure was a devastating storm. I hope all family health issues are resolved now as well.

  46. i think the food that would disappoint a lot of foreigners would be the burger steak, just for the name itself. as for the fried chicken, i think its a big hit on the singaporean side. jollibee will never be big in the states, we all know that. Young americans are big fast food eater, they know their stuff with regards to fast food.

    • I have never had the burger steak, but know what it is. I can see that it would probably be a disappointment. I mean “steak” it conjures up a mental image of a big juicy rib eye or something. You get a tiny little hamburger patty. 🙂

  48. The San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area has multiple Jolibee’s. Some are open 24 hours a day. We also have several Chow King, Goldilocks, and Max’s.

    It looks like Jolibee’s is tweaking their menus and their uniforms. I’m not too fond of their “new” gravy but I’m sure it’ll grow on me.

    Filipinos who visit the U.S. might get a shock when gravy refills are an extra charge while soda refills are free.

  49. I’m a big fan of Jollibee. I love most of their food. I’m visiting the Philippines right now and I’ve eaten at Jollibee many rimes already. They don’t have American sized portions but they don’t have American sized prices either. Good stuff!!!

  50. Well Here in North Carolina, my wife is just happy to go to Bojangle’s. Course I do get some funny looks when I order and have no problems paying for a extra side of gravy. When we don’t even order the mashed potatoes. LOL.

  51. I look forward to sampling Jollibee food on the upcoming visit. I heard about their fried chicken served with rice. The last time I’ve been in one was in 2002, the last time I was in the Philippines. I remember liking it better than McDonald’s, but, of course, my taste buds have remained oriented to Filipino cooking. As for the extra gravy, yes, I would probably order an extra serving to mix it with the rice. It’s the same with the “au jus” that comes with prime rib. When I order prime rib, I always ask for the extra “au jus” served in a soup cup to dip the meat in.

    • Hi John – Not surprising that your taste buds are geared more toward Filipino foods and flavors. Even though you have been in the USA for many years, we still tend to gravitate toward what we knew as kids, I think.

  52. I just checked the Jolibee website, and no locations here in Indiana yet. One of the Philippine differeces I noticed for McDonald’s was the little bowl of rice that gets served with each meal. Also McSpeghetti on the menu. I don’t remember whther it was extra sweet or not, probably because I brobably got a burger instead.

  53. Hi Bob

    I slightly prefer Jolibee to McDonald’s, but it ain’t worth driving 3+ hours to Norfolk, VA. as some of my wife’s friends have done. I always think of Jolibees as being kind of pricey when I go to it in the Philippines. Fast food in general seems to be about the same or a little higher there than in the US. They don’t seem to have value meals and I do not feel comfortable getting a cup of water like I would here in the US. We go sometimes mostly because of our kids. The Jolibee’s in Tagbilaran has a little play area that the kids enjoy.

    • Ha ha.. I am not a huge fan of either, but I prefer McDonald’s over Jollibee. I have both withing 5 minutes walk from my house… but it is very rare that I eat either one of them! 🙂