The Filipino fast-food chain plans to open up to 50 branches across the country, including Sabah and Sarawak.

Four long years after its first Malaysian outlet was launched in Kota Kinabalu (KK) CentrePoint, Jollibee has finally arrived in West Malaysia. Opening in Sunway Pyramid on February 8, 2022, Jollibee Malaysia revealed that ambitious plans to open here were definitely delayed by the pandemic.

In fact, this is just the start as the Filipino fast food chain announced a third outlet opening in Pavilion Bukit Jalil very soon.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT JOLLIBEE MALAYSIA

For those who have been waiting patiently, Jollibee Malaysia will most definitely include both regular and spicy versions of Chickenjoy, and the much celebrated sweet and smoky Jolly Spaghetti.

Although their spicy Chickenjoy isn’t offered in most places, market research showed Malaysia would be a perfect place to have it as a menu staple, and they are clearly right. It’s already showing to be the preferred option having opened just two days ago.

The outlet will also be debuting their Jollibee Spicy Chicken Sandwich at a later date, and dessert lovers can look forward to Jollibee’s Chocolate Sundae that many say taste very similar to old school White Rabbit chewy candies.

What many aren’t aware of is how the brand actually started, and it’s no wonder because they actually began as an ice cream parlour in 1975 in Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines.

When requests for more menu items prompted the restaurant to start selling chicken burgers and sandwiches, popularity grew expanding the brand into a thriving fast-food chain by 1978.

Jollibee branches in Malaysia will include self-order kiosks to adapt to digitalisation efforts, and customers can expect the introduction of more localised menu items quite soon.

50 BRANCHES IN FIVE YEARS

At present, Jollibee has about 1,450 outlets worldwide, with restaurants in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, East Asia, North America, and Europe. A year after opening in Kota Kinabalu, it was reported that Jollibee wanted to open 100 outlets in Malaysia in the next 10 years, including 50 stores in Sabah and Sarawak.

But with the country still only starting its recovery from the pandemic, the team has reconfigured to expand 50 more Malaysian branches in the next five years, a number that is also expected to create up to 3,800 jobs.

Jollibee’s next outlet in West Malaysia is already established to be in Pavilion Bukit Jalil. Due to the population of the Klang Valley, the team plans to first focus on expanding here before moving into other states like Penang, Johor, and Melaka. KK residents can also expect to see more outlets in the coming years, as well.