Blockbuster lines greet Jollibee’s first store opening in Milan, Italy

The country’s largest fast-food chain has opened its first-ever European branch in Milan, Italy where an estimated 170,000 Filipinos live.

Located in Piazza Diaz 7, Milan, the Jollibee branch is just a stone’s throw from Duomo, Milan Cathedral.

In the early hours of its opening day, customers—families, young people, members of the Filipino community, and even locals—were already seen lining up in front of the Jollibee store just to have a taste of its world-famous Chickenjoy.

Among those who patiently waited for Jollibee’s doors to open was Tommy Flores Jr. who believed that the experience was all worth it. “Naghintay kami ng four hours sa labas pero sulit,” he shared in his Facebook post, while the Aquilon, Flores, and Mendoza families unanimously exclaimed, “Kahit mahaba ang pila, sobrang sulit ‘yung pagpunta namin! It tastes just like the Chickenjoy sa Pinas!”

The queue of eager and ecstatic customers outside of the outlet was so long that it poured out of the restaurant, and into the crowd on the street outside.

“Getting a foothold in Milan is a fundamental step for Jollibee, as well as a launch pad for the expansion of the brand to the rest of Europe,” said Jollibee Foods Corporation Chief Executive Officer Ernesto Tanmantiong.

“This newest venture sets off our journey that will lead to opening more stores around the continent – an ambitious goal, which we will achieve by consistently offering a unique dining experience with our delicious food and warm service that brings joy to all,” added Tanmantiong.

The opening of the Jollibee branch in Milan followed the signing of a joint venture between Jollibee Foods Corporation and Singapore Blackbird Holdings to export the fastfood chain to Europe.

“We want to bring Filipinos ‘a taste of home’, and at the same time share with Italians – who are famous for their gastronomic heritage – both the unique culinary experience that our crispy Chickenjoy offers and a series of common values: taste, conviviality, love of tradition and the joy of being together,” Tanmantiong said.

Jollibee believes that delicious food knows no barriers, race, language or culture. With around 3,800 stores globally, of which more than 1,200 are Jollibee brand stores, and now with the successful opening of our first-ever store in Europe – the brand looks forward to delight more and more customers by bringing Jollibee’s unique brand of joy to wherever they may be across the globe.

At its first European store, Jollibee’s menu offers the crispylicious and juicylicious Chickenjoy that is crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside, langhap-sarap Yumburger, and special items such as Chicken Tenders and Chicken Burgers that cater to both Filipino and Italian tastes.