In 1975, Tony Tan Caktiong and his family opened a Magnolia ice cream parlor in Cubao, Quezon City.

[4]
[5] The outlet later began offering hot meals and sandwiches. When the food items became more
popular than ice cream, the family decided to convert the ice cream parlor into a fast food restaurant,
which became the first Jollibee outlet in 1978.[6] Management consultant Manuel C. Lumba advised the
family on the change in strategy.[4] Jollibee was initially named "Jolibe", but changed its name to
"Jollibee".[7]

Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) was incorporated in January 1978.[note 1] By the end of that year, there
were seven Jollibee branches in Metro Manila. The first franchised outlet of Jollibee opened in Santa
Cruz, Manila in 1979.[10]

Jollibee experienced rapid growth.[clarification needed] The chain was able to withstand the entry of
McDonald's into the Philippines in 1981 by focusing on the specific tastes of the Filipino market.[11]
[example needed] The first provincial Jollibee outlet opened in Mabalacat.[12] The first overseas Jollibee
opened in Taiwan in 1986; that location eventually closed.[13] Jollibee continued to expand and set up
outlets both within the country and abroad.[14] On June 13, 1998, Jollibee opened its first United States
location in Daly City, California, with franchises soon following in Singapore, Italy, Qatar, and China.[15]
[16][17] Jollibee launched its first branch in Dubai in 1995, which closed, and reentered the market in
2015;[13][18] it currently operates 16 franchises across the United Arab Emirates. As a result of the 1997
Asian financial crisis, the chain was forced to withdraw its operations in Malaysia and Indonesia.[19][20]
Jollibee returned to Malaysia in December 2018, opening a location in Kota Kinabalu; the chain has since
expanded to seven locations in the country.[21][22][23]

In 2013, Jollibee opened its first branch in Singapore, and it has since opened five branches.[24] In 2016,
the chain opened its first Canadian restaurant in Winnipeg.[25] Jollibee first entered Europe in 2018 with
the opening of a branch in Milan,[26] which was followed by its second European location in London on
October 20, 2018.[27] In 2018, Jollibee opened locations in Manhattan and Edmonton.[28][29][30]
Jollibee announced plans to open 509 stores in the US and Canada in 2021.[31] In August 2022, Jollibee
opened a Times Square location.[32]