Jollibee is not just another fried chicken chain trying to get bigger in America. Its Chickenjoy was named the #1 best fast-food fried chicken in the U.S. by USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for the second year in a row, giving the chain a powerful selling point as it pushes into more fast-growing restaurant markets.
Now Jollibee is expanding in some of the country’s most important states: California, Texas, and New York.
The Filipino fast-food chain recently opened a new Manhattan restaurant at 14 East 42nd Street, between Fifth and Madison avenues. That gave Jollibee its third Manhattan location and pushed its North American footprint to 109 stores, including 81 in the U.S. and 28 in Canada, according to Jollibee itself.
That Manhattan opening is a big deal because it puts Jollibee near Grand Central, one of the busiest areas in New York City. The company said the opening drew lines before the doors even opened, and estimated that about 95% of opening-day customers were mainstream consumers rather than Filipino or Filipino American diners.
That is exactly the kind of growth Jollibee wants.
For years, Jollibee has had a loyal following among customers who already knew Chickenjoy, sweet-style spaghetti, peach mango pies, and the chain’s gravy-dipped fried chicken. Now it is trying to become a more mainstream fast-food player. A major part of that strategy is franchising. Until August 2025, every Jollibee in North America was company-owned. The chain’s first North American franchise opened that month in Queens, New York, and the California and Texas growth plans now unfolding are built around franchise partners.
California is another major target.
Jollibee has announced plans to add 15 new Northern California locations over the next eight years through a franchise partnership with George Almeida, a Concord-based restaurateur with more than 40 years of QSR experience at brands including Fuddruckers and Dave’s Hot Chicken. The chain already has about 35 California locations, with a strong Bay Area presence in cities including Alameda, Daly City, Hayward, San Jose, South San Francisco, and Vallejo, along with restaurants in the Sacramento area and a recently opened store in Stockton.
That makes sense. The Bay Area has one of the largest Filipino communities in the U.S., but it also has a broad audience of diners who embrace global fast food, fried chicken, Asian flavors, and cult-favorite chains.
Texas may be an even bigger prize.
Jollibee is planning a major San Antonio expansion, with up to 15 new locations possible by 2031. The chain currently has one San Antonio restaurant at 5033 Northwest Loop 410, which opened in December 2020, plus additional Texas locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Peter Wright, Jollibee’s VP of franchising, has said Texas could ultimately support more than 100 Jollibee locations — making the 15 San Antonio stores just one piece of a much bigger Texas plan.
That could make Texas one of Jollibee’s most important U.S. growth markets.
The chain is not just adding a few stores. Nation’s Restaurant News and other outlets have reported that Jollibee aims to reach 150 U.S. restaurants in the near term as a stepping stone toward its bigger goal of 500 locations across the U.S. and Canada combined by 2030.
That is an ambitious goal, especially in a fried chicken market already packed with Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, KFC, Raising Cane’s, Dave’s Hot Chicken, Wingstop, Church’s Texas Chicken, and local favorites.
But Jollibee has something many competitors do not: a menu that feels familiar and different at the same time.
Chickenjoy gives customers crispy fast-food fried chicken. The spaghetti, peach mango pie, adobo rice, and gravy make the experience feel unlike most American chicken chains.
That combination is why Jollibee’s next U.S. locations matter.
California, Texas, and New York are not easy markets. They are expensive, crowded, and competitive. But if Jollibee can keep drawing lines there, America’s #1 fast-food fried chicken may become a lot easier to find.
Links on this page may be affiliate links, for which the site earns a small commission, but the price for you is the same
Leave a Comment