CHANDLER, AZ — Jollibee, a popular Asian fast-food restaurant based in the Philippines, announced Friday that its restaurant in Chandler, Arizona -- its first location in the state -- would open at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019.
The fast-food restaurant is located at 2800 E. Germann Road, near Gilbert and Germann roads, in the former "Slim Chickens" building. The opening will mark Jollibee's 40th restaurant in the United States.
The first 50 fans in line who make a purchase of at least $25 on opening day will receive a six-piece bucket of chicken each month for a year, the restaurant said in a news release. They will also hand out Jollibee Funk Pop! figurines to fans who make banners or posters with the hashtag, #ItsOurTurn.
One of Jollibee's signature items is its fried chicken, referred on the menu as Chickenjoy, and is served in buckets, as strips, and sometimes paired with rice, gravy, spaghetti. Other items include Palabok Fiesta, a Filipino noodle dish with garlic sauce, crushed pork rind, shrimp, and egg, burger steaks, spaghetti, burgers, chicken sandwiches, corned beef, pork sausage, beef tenders, and sweet pork.
"We cannot wait to become a member of the Chandler business community and further expand the area's food offerings for locals," said Maribeth Dela Cruz, president of JFC North America, Philippine Brands Group, in a statement. "Great taste knows no barriers so whether you're a devoted fan or an adventurous newcomer, we invite everyone to come to the store on opening day to see for themselves why our Chickenjoy is world-famous!"
Jollibee said it plans to grow to 150 stores in the U.S. and to 100 stores in Canada by 2023.
Other Jollibee locations in the U.S. are in California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Washington, and Virginia. The first U.S. location opened in 1998 in Daly City, California.
