The Asian fast food chain Jollibee opened its first outlet in the UK this morning at 8am and hundreds of people queued around the block for hours to get a taste
FANS of Jollibee waited for an incredible 18 hours ahead of the fast food chain opening its first restaurant in London.
Over a thousand people queued around the block in Earls Court to be among the first to get a taste of some of the unusual dishes served up.
The two men at the front of the line had been waiting 18 hours for the restaurant to open at 8am today.
The popular chain has been described as the "Asian KFC".
Jollibee's signature dish is the 'Chickenjoy' which is a piece of fried chicken and a side of spaghetti, smothered in a tomato sauce, and then topped with hotdog slices and ground beef.
The dish is on sale in the UK for £4.99.
Also on the menu in Britain, which is slightly different from the one in Asia, is the Chickenjoy Bucket.
This has either six or eight pieces of fried chicken, a Double Yumburger as well as fries, sweetcorn and ice-cream.
Michael Sibson, 38, cleaner and balloon artist from Guildford in Surrey, was the first super fan in the queue and the first to step through the doors.
He said: "I'm here because I miss Jollibee. It's been almost nine years since I last visited.
"My daughter is seven years old and when I told her it was going to open here, it was her dream that I'd be the first person in the queue, and I wanted to make her dreams come true.”
Super fan Mars El Brogy, 34, from West London, grew up in the Philippines and has lived in the UK for the past two years.
She said: “Jollibee’s arrival is definitely on par with the level of happiness when I graduated, got my first job, got engaged, got married, had my kids… this is huge.”
To celebrate the milestone of arriving on UK shores, Jollibee offered the first 100 customers free Chickenjoy meals to celebrate the first ever ‘National Chickenjoy Day’.
Jollibee also has its own mascot like Ronald McDonald and Colonel Sanders – a giant red bumblebee.
While the chain is massively popular in Asia and boasts 1,200 branches worldwide, the London outlet is only the second to open in Europe, with the Milan branch launching earlier this year.
Dennis Flores, President and Head of Jollibee International Business for EMEAA said: “Arriving in the UK is a significant milestone for our brand.
"We knew excitement was high among Filipinos and locals alike.
"We are even more thrilled with the level of buzz and excitement from the wider London community who have been queuing in their thousands to experience Jollibee for the first time.
"We’re looking forward to spreading the joy of eating and establishing ourselves as a part of the local food scene in London.”
It has proved to be particularly successful in Vietnam and China.
The chain plans to open another 25 stores in the UK and 50 across Europe over the next five years.
Jollibee is owned by the Jollibee Foods Corporation, which is based in Manila and valued at $5.2billion (£4bn).
