Jollibee opened its first Bronx location on July 1 at The Hub, the commercial corridor at the corner of Third Avenue and East 150th Street, according to the Bronx Times. Customers lined up throughout the morning despite the onset of a major heat wave, many angling to be among the first to order the chain’s signature Chickenjoy fried chicken, Jolly Spaghetti, burgers, and Peach Mango Pie. Employees gave away free food and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion.
The chain was founded in the Philippines in 1978 and has since grown to more than 1,900 locations worldwide. It has expanded its U.S. presence steadily over the past two decades.
Peter Xu, the owner of the Third Avenue location, described the restaurant as a community gathering place. “We are opening our home to the community,” Xu said. “We promise to serve you the crispiest, the juiciest Chickenjoy, the sweetest Jolly Spaghetti and the warmest hospitality every single day. We want this to be a place where you celebrate your kids’ birthdays, stop by after a long day of work or simply gather with the people you love.”
The restaurant opened in a commercial district with a 17.5 percent storefront vacancy rate, according to the Third Avenue Business Improvement District’s recent Commercial District Needs Assessment. Jollibee follows 7th Street Burger, which opened along the same corridor earlier this year, as national chains continue to plant flags in one of the Bronx’s busiest shopping strips.
“I think today is an example of just an ongoing theme that we’ve been talking about for the past several years, which is that the Bronx deserves great things,” said Pedro Suarez, executive director of the Third Avenue Business Improvement District. “This is one of the many great things that Third Avenue now has to offer, and we want to build on that. We want spaces for the community.”
The franchise is owned by Ardent Global. Jaime Galvez of Ardent Global said the company moved on the Bronx location after watching its existing outpost near Queens Center Mall perform well. “There’s never been a Jollibee in the Bronx, and I believe the community is going to love it,” Galvez said. Galvez added that the company hopes the location will draw both longtime fans of the chain and first-time customers.
Philippine Consul General Senen T. Mangalile attended the ribbon-cutting and said the restaurant would introduce Filipino food and culture to a broader audience and strengthen cultural ties between the Philippines and the United States. “We are glad that we are bringing the Jollibee brand here in the Bronx, and I hope that the local people, the local community, will enjoy the offerings of this very Filipino brand,” Mangalile said.
The restaurant is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Featured image: Photo by Marina Samuel
