Jollibee, the largest and most popular fast food chain in the Philippines, is re-entering the Guam market with the ongoing $2 million construction of a restaurant within the Micronesia Mall compound in Dededo. The restaurant is expected to open by early 2019.
The restaurant is being built within the parking area of Micronesia Mall, by the corner of Marine Corps Drive and Army Corps Drive. Construction began in March.
Construction cost is $2 million and the permit fee is $12,820, based on copies of the Department of Public Works building permit posted on a barrier wall at the construction site.
Isagani Baluyut, owner of Isagani Baluyut Construction, on Monday said his company has a one-year contract to build the Jollibee restaurant. Baluyut said he is not privy to the restaurant’s actual opening date but his company’s construction contract ends in April 2019.
Jollibee started as an ice cream parlor
Jollibee, known for its Chickenjoy, hamburgers and sweet-tasting spaghetti and its iconic red bumble bee mascot, used to have restaurants on Guam and Saipan but declining sales forced the branches to close.
An international Jollibee franchise applicant is required to have a minimum net worth of $5 million, according to Jollibee’s corporate website.
Jollibee started in 1975 as an ice cream parlor that evolved into a burger chain, and has become the largest fast food chain in the Philippines. It has also embarked on an aggressive international expansion plan in the United States, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei.