Asia’s favourite fried chicken arrives in Leicester with first UK halal store

Jollibee, the home of Asia’s favourite fried chicken and the Philippines’ largest fast-food chain, launches a third UK restaurant in Leicester. Jollibee is famous across the world for bringing an Asian twist to a traditional western menu, with unique food combinations including crispy fried chicken with a side of sweet spaghetti.

The new Leicester restaurant is in a prime location on Humberstone Gate, within the city centre’s pedestrianised zone and is open 10am-10pm daily, with a seating capacity of 134. This is the first Jollibee in the UK to sell all Halal meat, offering a unique, inclusive and, most importantly, fun dining experience to everyone, all at an affordable price point. The new restaurant will create 50 new jobs.

“Community spirit is one of our main values here at Jollibee. When we decided on Leicester, we understood that to be part of this multicultural city, we had to adapt our supply chain to ensure we can offer all of our Jollibee favourites as Halal. I hope Jollibee will become a much-loved part of Leicester’s community,” says Adam Parkinson, Market Head of Europe for Jollibee.

The store officially opens its doors to the public on Friday 20th November at 10am at Unit 8, Haymarket Towers, Humberstone Gate, Leicester, LE1 1WA, currently for takeaway only, in line with government regulations.

Jollibee serves up the crispiest, juiciest and tastiest fried chicken around, with a diverse menu including chicken burgers, hotdogs, fries, desserts and refreshing drinks. Leicester customers can try some of the latest menu items, including – Tropical Chicken Burger, Asian Slaw, Mango Coconut Sundae, Pineapple Juice and Asian Chicken Tender Rice Bowl.

Adam Parkinson adds, “I am excited to be launching our third Jollibee in the UK, and the second in only the last two months. With its rich history as one of the oldest cities in England, and better known today for its cultural diversity, Premier League winning football team and great universities, Leicester was an obvious choice for us for our first midlands store”.

The brand has a cult following amongst the Filipino diaspora around the globe, from Hong Kong to New York and now here in the UK. The first British restaurants opened in Earl’s Court, London in 2018 and Liverpool in September 2020, winning the hearts and taste-buds of the locals. In fact, 90% of customers at the Liverpool store are locals, proving the demand for Jollibee among the British public. Previous launches have witnessed people queuing as early as 72 hours prior to the store opening and traveling for hundreds of miles.

“When people take the first bite of our signature “Chickenjoy”, they’ll understand what all the hype is about,” says Adam Parkinson.

A bit of Jollibee history

Jollibee is a much-loved restaurant chain, founded in 1978 by Tony Tan Caktiong in the Philippines. Tony, the son of Chinese immigrants, built up his business from humble beginnings, opening a couple of ice cream parlours, then expanding his offering to a selection of hot food. The restaurants were a hit, and by 1985, Jollibee was the market leader in the Philippines’ quick service industry. To this day, Jollibee still outperforms McDonald’s and KFC in the Philippines. The brand opened its first international restaurant in 1987 and by 1998, had 300 stores globally including its first store in the USA.

Jollibee now has 1,466 stores, 1,185 of which are in the Philippines and 281 in other markets across Asia, Europe, the US and more recently the UK. Over the next 3-5 years, Jollibee intends to open 50 stores in the UK. The flagship store launch in Leicester Square, London will take place in 2021, followed by launches in Edinburgh, Leeds and other major cities across the UK.

Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) also owns other brands including The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Smashburger, Chowking, Mang Inasal, Greenwich Pizza and Red Ribbon. The company also owns the franchise for Burger King Philippines.