Jollibee Franchise Opportunity: Leadership & U.S. Expansion

For over 25 years, Jollibee, the global fried chicken franchise, has been quietly growing across the United States. With over 1,700 locations worldwide, Jollibee is a beloved chicken spot, and it’s now combining its decades of experience, strong average unit volumes and powerful leadership team to become a dominant franchise player in North America.

“I say that Jollibee is the best franchise opportunity nobody’s ever heard of,” said Peter Wright, vice president of franchising. “Many people are not familiar with the Jollibee brand, but once they discover it, they’re sold. That goes for Jollibee in the mainstream consumer market, too.”

The transition from a corporate-heavy model to one that is also embracing franchise partnerships as a way to expand its U.S. presence requires a high-caliber leadership team. Wright brings deep expertise from key development roles at Starbucks and Panera Bread, and he joins a leadership team with decades of combined tenure.

Leadership and expertise

Because of this, the leadership team has a healthy blend of brand experience and expertise surrounding the American consumer, and this creates a distinct advantage for incoming franchisees.

“This is a long-tenured team, and that will benefit franchisees a lot,” Wright said. “The team has seen virtually every kind of challenge thrown at us, and as they’ve navigated them, they’ve really figured out how to thrive in the U.S. market.

Many brands rush into franchising as a way to drive growth, and this model often turns into a dynamic that relies on others’ funds to drive a brand’s success. Jollibee did not rush into franchising, nor did its team view it as a way to hand off growth responsibilities.

By operating corporate units for decades, Jollibee “cracked the code” on operations before asking franchisees to join the system. This ensured that the franchise opportunity was truly optimized and ready for growth partners, not just one that checked the bare-minimum boxes.

U.S. expansion strategy

“There’s a distinction in what we’re trying to drive,” Wright said. “We’re going to continue building company-owned units. But we’re also going to partner with the right franchisees to develop units. We see aligning with the right franchisees as a great way to grow the business.”

As part of this strategy, Wright remains focused on careful market entry, not just awarding franchises for the sake of volume.

“It’s not about how many deals we can sign,” he said. “It’s about finding the right franchisees who are aligned with our vision.”

Jollibee remains an operator first, and continuing corporate growth, alongside that driven by franchisees, will keep us aligned to what is best for the brand.

“Our north star is the success of Jollibee,” Wright said. “Being an operator and having that alignment with the franchise operating community is a great strength for us.”

Market opportunity and growth

While the fried chicken segment is competitive, Jollibee offers a rare white space opportunity. With major competitors largely sold out in prime markets, Jollibee offers sophisticated developers territory in top-tier markets and a brand fueled by a “cult-like” fan base.

With a vision to open 500 units across the U.S. by 2030, the leadership team is selective and continues to focus on identifying developers who understand the nuance of their local markets.

“I like to say that we award franchises; we don’t sell them,” Wright said. “Joining Jollibee is like joining a club. I expect that any franchise candidate would be as diligent about understanding this opportunity as I am about who we select to become a franchisee. This mutual evaluation process ensures alignment both ways and sets the brand up for continued success as we drive national expansion.”