Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee eyeing Vancouver as part of massive Canadian expansion

    1 of 6 2 of 6

      If you're a Metro Vancouverite hankering for some Jolly crispy chicken or an Aloha Yum burger, you may soon find it easier to satisfy your cravings without having to travel across Canada, to the U.S., or to the Philippines.

      Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee Food Corporation is planning a rapid expansion throughout Canada—and Vancouver is being considered as a future location.

      The company first entered the Canadian market in 2016 when it opened two locations in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and one in Scarborough, Ontario, in April. A fourth location is scheduled to open in Mississauga later this year.

      CTV News reported that the company announced ambitious plans to open 100 more stores in Canada over five years, including more in Ontario, and possible locations in Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton.

      Jollibee Canada

      Jollibee, which began as an ice-cream parlor in 1975, has developed a following for menu items such as fried chicken, burgers, Pinoy-style spaghetti, palabok, and peach-mango pie.

      The company now has over 1,000 locations in Brunei, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and the U.S.

      Then–B.C. Premier Christy Clark visited Jollibee during a 2016 trade mission to the Philippines.

      The influential power of the fast-food chain has even attracted Canadian politicians for photo ops.

      Former B.C. Premier Christy Clark visited an outlet during a trade mission to the Phillippines in 2016 and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was photographed visiting Jollibee in Manila when he attended to Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in November 2017. 

      Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Jollibee in Manila in November 2017.
      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook

      Comments