NEW YORK CITY — Justine Callen and girlfriend Faye Javier, a Filipino, waited for 20 hours in the middle of a winter chill for the opening of a new restaurant, which Javier could be all too familiar with — Jollibee.
In front of the queue of people that had formed outside Jollibee’s newest branch outside the Philippines were a row of folding chairs.
When the store’s glass door swung open at 8:05 a.m. on Saturday here, Callen and Javier surpassed the record for waiting time — 17 hours — set by a Filipino balloon artist at the opening of another Jollibee store in London a week ago.
The opening of the Jollibee branch on 8th Avenue and 39th Street at Manhattan in the city’s midtown area was more than a treat eagerly awaited by a long line of customers, mostly Filipinos, that curved on 40th Street.
Aggressive expansion
Jose Miñana Jr., Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) group president for North America, saw the event as part of an “aggressive” expansion push by Asia’s largest restaurant company to cater to a mixed market of Filipinos and foreigners in the United States and Canada.
“We’re still finalizing plans, looking for sites and tweaking numbers,” said Miñena, explaining the market “crossover” during an Inquirer interview.
Similar efforts are being made by JFC executives in Europe.
At least 4,200 stores of Jollibee, the flagship brand of JFC, are already in 20 countries.
The company has an 85-percent stake in Smashburger and has recently entered into an agreement with award-winning chef Rick Bayless to set up a Mexican restaurant chain in the United States.
Jollibee has been catering to Filipino customers for decades, Miñena said.
Mixed market
He said the opening of the latest store in New York was “one step” in expanding to a “mixed market” of customers.
The plan, he said, was prompted by positive feedback the company had received on the growing demand for its food and JFC’s dream to be one of the top five restaurant firms in the world.
While he did not cite any product that could give JFC an edge, Miñana said the company would compete in the “chicken” segment.
In the United States, there are 37 stores in 10 states, with more stores to be opened in Maryland and Washington.
North America has a total number of 41 Jollibee stores.
The Manhattan branch is in a tough business area teeming with pedestrians — and potential customers — and dotted by fast-food outlets, restos, convenience stores, burger joints and hotdog stands.
Prime location
It is on leased prime lot near the Port Terminal, Times Square, The New York Times building and a subway station.
The only other branch in the city is in the southern borough of Queens, where a sizeable number of Filipinos live.
“We are excited to finally open our doors in the heart of bustling Manhattan, which is not just a center of business and finance but a major cultural and entertainment hub that receives millions of visitors from around the world each year,” Miñana said in presiding over the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
He estimated that 10,000 Filipinos lived on the island.
The 8th Avenue Jollibee store has 46 seats for customers but has a workforce of 67, including 52 Filipinos.
Jollibee’s attraction
“We hope that the people of Manhattan will come and experience for themselves why people line up for a taste of Jolibee,” said Maribeth dela Cruz, vice president and general manager for JFC North America.
Callen and Javier, both consultants, did not mind the ordeal of waiting for 20 hours in the cold.
Temperatures dropped to 3° C, and the rain added to the chill.
The couple, however, had planned to set the record after learning of the one in London.
Other customers showed up wearing red-and-black costumes of Jollibee’s bee mascot.
“It is all about family, love and experience with my beautiful girlfriend and enjoying Chicken Joy,” Callen said.
He received a monthly supply of Chicken Joy for a year by becoming the branch’s first customer.
He described Jollibee food as “unique.”
Ruth Aragon, a nurse who had been staying in New York for 30 years, said she, too, lined up to show support for the Filipino community and to heed a craving for Filipino comfort food.