Jollibee closing some stores in Luzon due to COVID-19 lockdown

MANILA - Jollibee Foods Corp on Wednesday said it would close some stores in Luzon during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Outlets that will stay open will service customers on drive-thru, delivery and take out, the country's largest restaurant operator said in an advisory. 

"We are temporarily closing some of out stores in Luzon as a result of the enhanced community quarantine," Jollibee said.



Contactless delivery will also be imposed with riders standing 6-feet away from consumers during transactions, it said. 

Strict sanitation and social distancing are being observed for stores catering to take-out and drive-thru orders, Jollibee said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Chicken out? Serve Chickenjoy: How Jollibee took on McDonald's

MANILA -- Instead of chickening out, Jollibee offered fried chicken and focused on a delicious menu, its CEO said, recalling how the firm took on McDonald's to become the Philippines' largest fast food operator.

When McDonald's entered the Philippines at the start of the 1980s, Jollibee only had 12 stores. The young chain's founder, Tony Tan Caktiong, hired a foreign consultant to map out a strategy, said the current CEO, Ernesto Tan Mantiong.

At that time, Jollibee stores were behind in look, equipment, systems and process, except in one area: taste, Tan Mantiong told a recent dinner roundtable with businessmen in Manila.

"Instead of chickening out, we served Chicken Joy," Tan Mantiong said, referring to Jollibee fried chicken, which it eventually exported to its foreign outlets.

"We were warned that when McDonald's entered the country, it tended to wipe out local competitors. We were told to just give it up and do other businesses and not to confront the global giant," he said. "So Tony sought the help of a foreign consultant, who was an expert in corporate strategy."

ICE CREAM BEGINNINGS

Before setting up Jollibee, Tan Caktiong and his then girlfriend, Grace, set up 2 ice cream parlors, one in Cubao and another in Quiapo from a seed capital of P350,000.

"Since they plan on getting married, they applied for a franchise for their livelihood," Tan Mantiong said.

After a few months of operations, Tan Caktiong and his brothers found out that consumers craved hot meals and burgers, which eventually replaced the ice cream-heavy menu, Tan Mantiong said.

"Since we were now selling primarily hot meals and burgers, we thought it would be good to change the name of our stores," he said.

WHY JOLLIBEE?

Naming the business was a long process, Tan Mantiong said. The word "Jolli" was inspired by a helicopter used during the Vietnam war called "Jolly Green Giant," which the Tan family spotted during an exhibit in Clark, while "bee" was suggested by Tan Caktiong’s wife Grace.

Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck were inspirations for the group’s mascot, Tan Mantiong earlier shared in an interview with CNBC.

The country’s largest food operator has since introduced different versions of its logo including "flying bee" and a "standing bee."

ASIA’S PRIDE

Jollibee reached its first 1000th store milestone in 2017. Today it has over 1,400 stores in 16 countries, Tan Mantiong said.

The Jollibee group has 6 brands in the Philippines and over 3,420 stores, he said. Globally, the company has a total of 15 brands and over 5,800 stores in 35 countries, he said. 

Jollibee acquired US-based burger chain Smashburger as well as the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf brand. It has invested in Mexican-American Tortas Fronteras, and has franchise interests in other global brands such as Panda Express, Dunkin Donuts and Pho24. 

"It is heartening to know that to this day, the Philippines is the only country in the whole world where a local company beat the global leader in its own game," Tan Mantiong said.

"I’ve learned that it is important to always dream big with passion and commitment. Even when we started out, we dream big and even though many thought it was crazy. And it was that crazy dream that brought us to where we are now," he said.

Even after 40 years, founder Tan Caktiong still has his eyes on potential acquisitions or brands with "great tasting food" and a scalable model, his brother and successor said.

Looking back, with a shoebox of letters from his wife Susan to remind him of past challenges, Tan Mantiong said the company he helped build "had come a long way."

"There will be many more challenges along the way, but I truly believe that the best is yet to come," he said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Jollibee opens Guam branch in accelerated North America push

MANILA -- Over a thousand patrons lined up for hours on Saturday to mark the opening of Jollibee in Guam, its 38th store in the US, the Philippines' largest fast food operator said Saturday.

The store's first customer, Landon Laureano waited in line for 12 hours. Located in front of the Micronesia Mall in Dededo, it can seat 205 people.

Jollibee Foods Corp recently announced its accelerated North American expansion plan, which includes growing to 150 locations in the US and 100 in Canada over the next 5 years.

The company continues to expand globally, opening stores in Manhattan in New York, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Jollibee opens first Florida branch, Fil-Ams get taste of home

JACKSONVILLE, Florida - Filipino-Americans braved chilly weather and got in line before dawn to get a taste of their homeland at the opening of the first Jollibee location in this state.

Craving Chickenjoy and Jolly Spaghetti, Carine and Andre Velasco drove over 3 hours from Winter Haven to camp out outside the restaurant with their two children.

“It feels like home. We miss home,” said Carine. “Nagho-homesick kami (we get homesick), and eating Filipino food — especially Jollibee, it’s kinda like home.”

Helen de Nardis from Westside Jacksonville was the first customer in line.

“I’m excited, I’m celebrating!” she said.

The Philippines' largest fastfood operator has 31 other stores in the US, according to its website.

"Nagulat na naman kami sa excited na mga kasama natin, mga kababayan natin na, naghihintay sila dito," said Jollibee Foods Corp group president for North America Jose Miñana.

(We are surprised by the excitement of our fellow Filipinos who waited here.)

Jollibee opened its first store in Canada last December and Filipino-Canadians braved freezing temperatures to order their favorites.

Read more on Balitang America

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Jollibee offers adobo burger, halo-halo sundae

MANILA- Homegrown fast food giant Jollibee has unveiled two uniquely Filipino items just in time for Independence Day on June 12.

Customers at Jollibee can order the adobo flakes burger for P59, and the halo-halo sundae for P35 for a limited time starting Wednesday, June 1.

Get a taste of the new Jollibee Adobo Flakes Yum! Burger at Halo-Halo Sundae starting tom, June 1! #PinoyandProud pic.twitter.com/vXFFDgFwNc

  — Jollibee (@Jollibee) May 31, 2016


A variation on the Yum! burger, Jollibee’s newest sandwich has a patty topped with adobo flakes and a special sauce.

The halo-halo sundae, on the other hand, includes familiar toppings such as red bean, banana, jackfruit, nata de coco and macapuno.

Jollibee branches in the United States serve halo-halo, which was sampled by no less than chef and TV personality Anthony Bourdain in 2013.



“It makes no sense at all. I love it,” Bourdain said, adding that the dessert is “oddly beautiful.”

In 2015, Bourdain was spotted at a Jollibee branch in Manila for his CNN travel show, “Parts Unknown.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

LOOK: Anthony Bourdain tries Jollibee in PH

Nagmeryenda lang ako, nakita ko pa si Anthony Bourdain sa Jollibee! Mukhang enjoy sya sa chickenjoy!

Posted by Alfredo Lupe on Friday, 11 December 2015

MANILA - Aside from visiting a Korean restaurant in Malate on Thursday, television personality, chef, and best-selling author Anthony Bourdain appeared to have also stopped by a branch of Jollibee.

A photo of the 59-year-old Bourdain eating at the local fast food chain has been circulating online. A Facebook user named Alfredo Lupe posted it on his account with the caption: "Nagmeryenda lang ako, nakita ko pa si Anthony Bourdain sa Jollibee! Mukhang enjoy sya sa chickenjoy!"

This is not the first time that Bourdain was able to eat at Jollibee. Back in 2013, Bourdain visited a Jollibee branch in Los Angeles and tried halo-halo, a menu item he described as "oddly beautiful."

Bourdain's last visit in the country was in 2008 for his Travel Channel show, "No Reservations." During that trip, he made stops in Manila, Pampanga, and Cebu.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Jollibee to open in UK, Italy by 2016

Jollibee Foods Corporation is planning to open its first store in the United Kingdom and another one in Italy next year.

The Philippine-based fast food restaurant is also bringing its flagship brand to Japan and Australia by 2017.

- ANC, News Now, November 02, 2015

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Who pays for late Jollibee orders? Not the delivery boy

MANILA – Jollibee on Monday said it does not charge its delivery riders for orders that arrive late to customers following an incident involving a customer who allegedly tricked the rider to make sure his order arrived late.

Arline Adeva, PR director at Jollibee Philippines, said in a statement that "it has never been Jollibee’s policy to charge the gift certificates issued to customers as goodwill for late delivery against our riders’ salaries."

A Jollibee customer, only identified as a certain "Jay Bee," earned the ire of netizens after he boasted on Facebook that he used devious ways to get P200 worth of gift certificates that the fast food chain offers, if a delivery arrives late.

The customer said he pretended not to hear the receptionist calling him, and by the time the delivery rider arrived at his unit, the order was technically late.

He said he only paid P66 for his order of burger, spaghetti, fries, and sundae.

Jollibee neither confirmed nor denied that the incident happened, but Adeva clarified that Jollibee's delivery guarantee time ends once the rider arrives at the lobby.

"We also want to remind our customers that Jollibee’s delivery guarantee time ends upon arrival of rider at the lobby of the building, hospital or condominium or gate/guardhouse of subdivision or offices," Adeva said.

"Even as we are committed to provide fast and efficient service to our customers through our Jollibee delivery guarantee, the safety and welfare of our riders are of paramount important to us," she added.

Adeva also said the company trusts "that the public will treat our riders with the courtesy, honesty and respect that they deserve."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Jollibee eyes more US, China outlets

MANILA, Philippines - In line with its goal to become one of the top quick-service restaurants worldwide, fastfood giant Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) is focusing on the Philippines, China and the US as priority areas for expansion due to the strong consumer markets in these countries, company officials said.

The company is taking advantage of the expanding consumer market in the three countries to grow its brands, JFC chairman Tony Tan Caktiong told reporters after the company’s stockholders’ meeting in Pasig City last Friday.

“As we all know, China has the biggest population or consumer market. The US, although they are not number one in terms of number of consumers, its consumer market is still one of the biggest [in the world,” he said, while noting that the Philippines remains the most important market for Jollibee.

Currently, majority of revenues come from the Philippines, followed by China at 12 percent and the US at five percent.

Businesses in Vietnam add three percent to total revenues while the balance come from the Middle East and other locations.

Expansion in these priority growth areas will help the company achieve its target of ranking with top QSRs in the world, hopefully in seven years, JFC CFO Ysmael Baysa said in the same event.

“One is we will continue to grow organically our existing business. We want to grow even faster in the Philippines and China,” he said.

“In addition to that, we will continue to acquire more businesses, particularly in the US. And depending on the size of acquisition, the growth of international business and of the company can be very fast,” he added.

Jollibee has three brands in China – Hong Zhuang Yuan, San Pin Wang and Yonghe King.

In the US, Jollibee has imported its namesake brand, focusing more on the Filipino population, but is also on the lookout for a US QSR brand.

Tan Caktiong said they are looking at a brand already doing well and does not need a turnaround in business. Currently, JFC is talking with a number of brands but the official declined to divulge further details.

“In the US, the challenge is their brands are doing well and pricing is quite high. It will be a challenge to get the right brand with the right valuation,” he said.

“We are hoping we can do something in the next 12 months.

But while JFC has defined the three countries as priority areas, the fastfood giant is still excited to bring its several brands in other territories.

Tan Caktiong said the Southeast Asian region will remain in the company’s radar for expansion.

Read more on Philippine Star.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Jollibee group to open 330 new stores

MANILA – Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) said it is investing P9.1 billion in capital expenditures in 2015, 68.5 percent higher than the P5.4 billion spending in 2014.

The firm said a bulk of the spending or about P6.7 billion will be allocated for its Philippine operations while P1.7 billion will be spent for China, and the balance for the US and Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

JFC said it plans to open 330 new stores worldwide, 220 of which are in the Philippines and the remaining 110 overseas.

“The 2015 capital expenditures will be mostly for the store openings and store renovations in the Philippines and foreign operations, and investments in commissary construction and capacity increase in the Philippines,” the company said on Monday.

JFC added that the investments will be financed by its cash reserves and cash expected to be generated from its operations this year.

The Jollibee Group opened a total of 234 new stores in 2014, of which 169 are in the Philippines and 65 are in foreign operation.

As of December 31, 2014, JFC operated 2,301 restaurants in the country under the brands Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal and Burger King.

The firm is also operating 612 stores overseas, more than 400 of which are in China.

JFC posted profits of P5.27 billion in 2014, 12.7 percent higher than the amount generated in 2013 on the back of increased system wide sales.

JFC said its system wide sales, which measure all sales to consumers both from company-owned and franchised stores, grew by 13.3 percent in 2014.

JFC’s Philippine business grew by 13.2 percent while its foreign business grew by 13.7 percent.

“The sales growth for the year was driven by an 8 percent same store sales growth for the Philippines and worldwide and a 5.4 growth in store network,” the firm said.

JFC’s chief financial officer Ysmael Baysa, meanwhile, said raw material cost increases in 2014 brought pressure on the firm's profit margins.

"We made important price adjustments and improved our store and manufacturing expenses during the year. We are now very close to fully covering these cost increases and look forward to the full recovery and improvement in gross profit margins in 2015 through lower cost of energy and more stable raw material prices. We will also offer even better products to our consumers to help ensure our products continue to provide them great value,” he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Why McDonald's CEO resigned

NEW YORK - Fast-food giant McDonald's replaced president and chief executive Donald Thompson on Wednesday, after the company turned in another poor quarter of sales and earnings last week.

The firm behind the world-famous Big Mac had been under pressure from investors to take swift action after seeing the business weaken in the past year under Thompson, one of the United States' top African-American executives and with 25 years at McDonald's.

The board of directors said it had chosen senior executive vice president Steve Easterbrook to replace Thompson, voicing confidence he "can effectively lead the company to improved financial and operational performance."

The decision came five days after McDonald's reported a 2.4 percent decline in revenues last year and a hefty 19-percent drop in earnings per share, with falls in store traffic in all regions.

With 36,000 outlets in over 100 countries, the burger chain has been challenged by changing consumer tastes, agile new fast-food chains and a slump in sales in China and Japan after supplier issues sparked a scare over food safety.

Despite its growing woes, McDonald's remains the world's largest burger chain, with $27.4 billion in revenues last year, and net income of $4.6 billion, down 15 percent from 2013.

But after aggressively investing and expanding in numerous markets to fight back against rivals, McDonald's said last week that it would reduce capital investment and cut back on store openings this year "to regain business momentum" and improve profitability.

The board said in a statement that Thompson, who was in only his third year as chief executive, was retiring effective March 1.

"It's tough to say goodbye to the McFamily, but there is a time and season for everything. I am truly confident as I pass the reins over to Steve that he will continue to move our business and brand forward," Thompson said.

Andrew McKenna, McDonald's board chairman, called Easterbrook, also the company's chief brand officer, "a strong and experienced executive who successfully led our UK and European business units."

"McDonald's is an outstanding company with talented employees and these management changes are aimed at speeding the company's movement to its next phase of innovation and growth," he said.

Menu cutbacks

In its annual results last week, the company admitted that it faces continuing headwinds this year.

"Over the next 12 months, our charge is to ensure that we are adapting to the changing marketplace and maximizing the potential of our global growth priorities to serve our customers' favorite food and drink, create memorable experiences, offer unparallelled convenience and become an even more trusted brand," McKenna said.

The company is reducing the choices on its menu, cutting back to 11 burger-fries-drink combinations from 16, and reducing other offerings.

Besides other chains -- from the aggressive Subway to the more upmarket Chipotle -- McDonald’s is also facing challenges on the social front.

Activists are pressing it and other fast-food chains to increase wages for workers, many of whom fall under the poverty line.

Sriram Madhusoodanan of Corporate Accountability International called Thompson's departure "yet another indication that this beleaguered brand is failing to adjust to the changing public climate.

"Until it addresses the marketing, health, labor, supply chain and other concerns raised by investors and patrons alike, no amount of marketing or staff shakeups will right the course."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Dental material' found in McDonald's burger in Japan

TOKYO - A Japanese woman has claimed she discovered fragments identified as "dental material" in a McDonald's hamburger, the company said Friday, the latest in a series of food contamination woes for the fast-food giant.

The claim comes two days after McDonald's held a press conference where it acknowledged several foreign objects had been found in its food, including a human tooth in a container of french fries at an outlet in Osaka.

In television footage aired Friday, the unidentified woman told the Asahi network that she found three tiny fragments of what looked like teeth in a burger she bought at a McDonald's in northern Kushiro city in September.

"I took a bite and there was a crunch," the woman said, adding she initially thought it was a piece of sand or stone.

"I can't help thinking that it was (already) in the meat," the customer added, as she showed a picture of the objects.

A third-party examination determined the opaque white fragments were "dental material", according to company spokeswoman Miwa Yamamoto, who added that the substance is commonly used to fill cavities or in other dental work.

McDonald's, however, would not confirm the woman's claim that the fragments were inside her burger.

Yamamoto said the customer was told that there was an "extremely low chance" it could have fallen into raw material given the highly-mechanised process.

None of the employees at the outlet had issues with their teeth at the time, and the customer denied it could have come from her own teeth, Yamamoto said.

On Wednesday, McDonald's acknowledged that a human tooth had been found in fries sold by another outlet last year, while it has also been hit by incidents in which pieces of vinyl were found in chicken nuggets and a tiny piece of hard plastic in a sundae.

Japanese media reports pointed to even more cases of contamination, including a piece of metal in a pancake.

The incidents mark another public relations setback for the firm, which is struggling to recover from the reputational battering it took in the summer when a Chinese supplier was found to be mixing out-of-date meat with fresh produce.

Then, late last year, the company had to airlift an emergency supply of french fries from the US after a chip shortage had resulted in rationing at its 3,000 restaurants across Japan.

Labour disputes on the US West Coast had bunged up the export chain, leaving Japanese firms scrambling to secure fresh supplies.

The difficulties looked set to hit McDonald's bottom line, with the Japanese unit earlier saying it was on track to report a 17 billion yen ($143 million) annual loss for 2014.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Jollibee to own, operate Dunkin' Donuts brand in China

MANILA, Philippines - Fast food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. will soon operate popular US baked goods and coffee chain Dunkin' Donuts in China.

In a disclosure to the stock exchange, JFC said its subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide is teaming up with Jasmine Asset Holding Ltd. to form a company to own and operate the Dunkin' Donuts chain in China.

Jasmine Asset Holding is a subsidiary of Asia-based investment firm RRJ Capital.

Under the joint venture agreement, Jollibee Worldwide will own 60 percent of the business, while 40 percent will be owned by Jasmine.

Jollibee and Jasmine have committed to investing up to $300 million in the joint venture company. Of the amount, Jollibee Worldwide will contribute up to $180 million.

Jollibee Worldwide will also be directly responsible for handling the Dunkin' Donuts business' day-to-day operations in China.

Jollibee and Jasmine have also agreed to execute a master franchise agreement with Dunkin' Donuts once the joint venture company is formed.

Under the master franchise agreement, the joint venture will have the exclusive right to develop Dunkin' Donuts in the following territories in China - Hong Kong, Macau, Fujian, Hunan, Jianxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Guanxi, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shangxi, Chongqing, Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunan, Heilongjiang and Jilin.

JFC said the joint venture will open and operate a minimum of 1,459 shops in China over 20 years.

Dunkin' Donuts is a leading baked goods and coffee chain, with 11,123 stores worldwide. It has 7,941 franchised stores in the US and 3,182 stores in 34 countries.

JFC operates the Philippines' largest food service network, with 2,283 restaurants. It also operates 603 stores abroad.

Dunkin' Donuts is not the first time JFC has invested overseas. It has 50 percent interest in joint ventures for Highlands Coffee in Vietnam and the Philippines, Sabu in China and Pho 24 in various Asian countries.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Jollibee going to Indonesia, Canada

MANILA, Philippines - Fastfood giant Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) is expanding into new territories including Indonesia next year and Canada in 2015, catering to both the local population and Filipinos overseas.

Tapping new markets is in line with the company’s goal of becoming Asia’s largest homegrown quick service restaurant chain, an executive said.

“We just opened in Houston, Texas. Our next target is to open in Chicago and near future Toronto, Canada. It will be our first in Canada,” JFC chief operating officer Ernesto Tanmantiong said in an interview.

Closer to home, Indonesia is in the radar for an expansion program early next year, Tanmantiong said.

Late last month, Philippines’ largest fastfood chain posted an opening day record in its Houston branch. More than 5,000 Filipinos flocked to the first JFC branch in southern US, more than a thousand compared with the opening day record of Jollibee Hawaii.

Tanmantiong hopes the company, famous for its signature Chickenjoy and Yum Burger, will continue breaking records in its overseas store openings.

“We’re focusing where the Filipinos are. They are craving for Jollibee (because) it’s a taste of home,” Tanmantiong said, adding that Jollibee Chicago will open next year while Jollibee Toronto will start operations in 2015.

In Asia, the fastfood giant is targeting to create a presence in Indonesia early next year.

“Indonesia hopefully (we can open) next year. What we plan to do in Indonesia is to find a joint venture partner,” Tanmantiong said.

“For Indonesia, it’s a fried chicken country so we believe the chicken joy will fit very well in Indonesia,” Tanmantiong said. JFC is developing spicy sauce sambal to cater to the Indonesia taste.

JFC is looking at suppliers for food production in Indonesia but the company is also ready to invest in a commissary in the emerging market, Tanmantiong said.

The expansion program signals the continuation of JFC’s corporate strategy of going after Filipinos overseas while also looking at the locals in host countries.

Tanmantiong will become the fastfood chain’s CEO effective July 2014 while current CEO Tony Tan Caktiong will remain as the chairman of the board.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Jollibee Houston shatters opening day records

HOUSTON, Texas – What started in 1975 as an ice cream parlor in the Philippines, has became one of the most successful Filipino fast food chains worldwide.

There are now at least 791 Jollibee stores in Philippines and over 90 stores in eight countries. In the US, stretching from the West Coast to the East and now in Houston, it has become a tourist destination for Filipinos.

"It’s a perfect opportunity to open a store here in Houston because it brings everybody together, Jollibee is able to bring back that nostalgia of what Jollibee is all about back home,” said Jollibee Foods Corporation USA vice president Maribeth Dela Cruz.

The first Jolibee in the southern US broke records in opening sales. Last week more than 5,000 Filipinos came to its opening day in Houston, all excited to get a taste of their favorites like Chicken Joy, Jolly Spaghetti, and Yum burgers. This was a thousand more than Jollibee Hawaii’s opening day record.

"I’ve been here 1 hour, it’s worth it. Oh yeah! Masarap kasi ang Jollibee!” said Alaric Evan Arro.

"Init, pawis but it's all worth it because Jollibee is the best for us," said Cherry Ann Nicolas.

A week after its opening day, the hype hasn't fizzled out. Curious patrons, including those who gave up after waiting in long lines last week, had to come back.

“Last week, I camped out here since 6 o'clock but the line was too long, so me and my mom went back home. So I told her after church, 'Let’s go back to Jollibee because I wanna taste and want their burgers,” said Lance Sy Changco.

Surrounded by kababayans, Filipinos here said eating at Jollibee in Houston is like being transported back home, with great food and great company.

Jollibee Philippines President Jose Miñana said this is just a beginning in the south, with another Filipino bakery possibly coming to Houston, right next to Jollibee.

"To all those who stay here in Texas we have something even more really exciting that we from Jollibee Foods Corporation group can bring over here. So abangan niyo yan,” he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Netizens want more sauce, hotdogs in Jolly Spaghetti

MANILA – Customers of fast-food giant Jollibee have started a petition for the restaurant chain to add more sauce and hotdogs to the Jolly Spaghetti.

The petition was started by Dominique Francesca Marie Banaag of Manila on the website Change.org, where it has gained 543 supporters as of posting.

In her petition, Banaag said she wants more spaghetti sauce and hotdogs “because having more pasta and less sauce is just plain disappointing.”

It seems many netizens agreed with Banaag such as Paul Michael Kaiser of Paranaque, who wrote: “We love ourselves some saucy spaghetti!”

“Siyempre, mas saucy mas yummy!” added Jaime Dy of Quezon City.

Erica May Vibar of Meycauayan was a lot more descriptive in her reason for supporting the petition. “Mas masarap at yummy kung paghigop (supsop) mo ng spaghetti mo kay tumutunog tunog at naiiwan ang sauce sa may lips mo tsaka mo ngayon nguyain at dilaan ang lips mo… yum, yummy, yummy talaga,” she said.

Dennis Carmelo Hipolito of Makati was more direct with his reason: “Value for money!”

This was echoed by Eunice Akilit of Sto. Tomas, Batangas, who said she tried the Jollibee spaghetti in Brunei. “Ibang-iba sya dito sa Pilipinas, of high quality talaga. Walue for money please.”

Lorenze Ibanez of Cagayn de Oro said, “Ang Jollibee ay isang lugar kung saan ang buong pamilya ay masaya. Hindi ikakasaya ng pamilya ang kulang na sauce. Dapat marami!”

According to the Jollibee website, its sweet style spaghetti sauce is “now the tastiest and meatiest ever” from the fast-food chain.

“With the chunkiest slices of savory ham and sausages, loaded with ground beef, served over premium quality noodles and topped with lots of cheese. Jollibee Spaghetti – the Spaghettiest!” it said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com