A few weeks ago the giant head of a friendly bee in a chef’s hat appeared outside an empty storefront in Alameda Landing. To those in the know, there was a buzz of excitement because that bee head could only mean one thing: Chickenjoy.
And sure enough, on Friday, October 11, more than a hundred people from Alameda and beyond lined up in the early morning hours to celebrate the much anticipated opening of the Philippines-based fast food chain, Jollibee. By 8:20 a.m., the line was wrapped around the building while a DJ blasted out jams near a merch table. The first 100 customers were eligible to receive a free T-shirt and more importantly, a free chicken sandwich every month for a year. On Saturday, the first 100 customers would receive a trendy bucket hat and on Sunday the giveaway was a baseball cap.
Jollibee originated in the Philippines in the late 1970s, serving American-style fast food classics such as hamburgers (Yumburger) and fried chicken (Chickenjoy), as well as Filipino dishes such as sweet spaghetti with a beef sauce and hot dog pieces, and palabok (noodles with pork and shrimp). The first American Jollibee opened in Daly City in 1998 and has a loyal and almost cult-like following among Filipino-Americans.
Recently, however, Jollibee, has been cultivating a more mainstream following with their most popular item, Chickenjoy, which USA Today crowned this summer as the #1 Best Fast Food Fried Chicken, beating out Chick-fil-A and Popeyes.
In the last few years, Jollibee has been rapidly opening new locations outside of traditional Filipino-American communities, with 12 locations in the Bay Area and another planned to open in San Francisco next year. The Alameda branch is the 75th Jollibee to open in the United States. According to Jollibee spokesperson Jillian Gonzales, the busiest branches include Daly City and surprisingly, Tukwila, Washington and Sterling Heights, Michigan.
Jollibee is known for being open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on holidays, including Christmas and Thanksgiving. These long hours have caused friction with workers who have been organizing for pay raises, double pay on holidays, and better working conditions. Jollibee is hiring employees from Alameda for full- and part-time positions, so it has yet to be seen if there will be an improvement in conditions that allegedly take place at other Jollibee locations.
When asked why Jollibee chose to open a branch in Alameda, Gonzales told the Alameda Post, “Obviously, there’s a huge Filipino-American community and at the same time, there are a lot of foodies here in Alameda.”
Camille Lynn and Kim Abbott traveled from Fremont and Walnut Creek to get to Jollibee at 4 am to wait for the grand opening. They sacrificed sleep for the free sandwich giveaway but also to embrace their heritage. “We love Jollibee… and we feel like it’s a Filipino right of passage to experience a Jollibee grand opening!”
Alex Webb of Alameda got in line at 7:30 a.m. and was there for the free sandwich giveaway, while Ash Cisek, also an Alameda resident, got there at 5 a.m. “I’m half-Filipino and my sister loves Jollibee, but she’s away at college and she was really sad to hear there was this big grand promotion so I was like, ‘I’ll go get the shirt that they’re giving away,’” he said.
Mostly everyone agreed that the Chickenjoy was their favorite thing on the menu, but another fan favorite is the Peach Mango Pie, a hand-held fried dessert with a sweet filling. The Pineapple Quencher, a pleasing drink with tropical vibes, is another unique offering from Jollibee.
Chin is an Alameda resident and was the first person in line. He told the Alameda Post that he had been waiting since 2:30 a.m. and that in the past he would go to Jollibee in Hayward and Daly City. He was excited to have a local Jollibee and plans to eat there once a week. When asked what he loves about Jollibee he answered, “The chicken and the spaghetti.”
Jean Chen is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jean-Chen.
