The “Jollibee” brand is now the icon of Filipino success. The ubiquitous bee mascot logo is a familiar sight in city and provincial skylines, in the traditional, social and below-the-line media and more importantly, embedded in the Filipino people’s psyches, especially children. It is also one of the most successful franchises internationally with hundreds of outlets both in the Philippines and abroad. Globally, the brand is slowly creeping its way to the consciousness and palates of diners in North America, Asia and the Pacific. From a small ice cream parlor in Cubao and Quiapo which opened in 1975, Jollibee is now a formidable 801 stores in the Philippines and still growing, and 96 stores abroad – in California and Nevada in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait in the Middle East, and Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei in Southeast Asia. Tony Tan Caktiong, chairman of Jollibee Food Corporation (JFC), is the man behind the brand. His desire to expand his ice cream store into a fast food chain prodded him to go to the United States to learn the ropes on how to grow his brand. And when his path crossed with Don Boroian, America’s foremost authority in franchising, it opened the doors for Jollibee’s U.S. expansion. In the Philippines, Mr. Tan Caktiong nurtured his brand despite the presence of multinational food franchise bigwigs.
Today, Jollibee is stronger than ever.Quality food and family values are paramount to Tony Tan Caktiong and Jollibee. He learned the food business from his hardworking parents, immigrants from Fujian, China, who operated a kitchen. Respect, humility, industriousness and the entrepreneurial spirit are embedded in the Jollibee corporate culture.For his revolutionary entrepreneurship and immense contribution to the Philippine fast food industry, Tony Tan Caktiong has also received several distinguished awards and citations too many to mention. Francorp thanked him by giving yet another –the Francorp Top 20 – for his belief in the Filipino, his trust in Francorp and our team of franchise consultants, and for putting the Philippines in the world’s franchise map. Tony Tan Caktiong & Jollibee has shown the world that franchising your business not only helps it grow from one to many, but creates pride and prestige for the country.