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Jollibee: Winnipeg has never seen a fast-food joint like this
<br> ROB MAGAZINE

Filipino fast-food giant Jollibee serves up nostalgia at its first Canadian outpost

SUSAN PETERS
Special to The Globe and Mail

This article was published more than 7 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.

For years, Jollibee was rumoured to be bringing its Filipino-American fast-food restaurants to Canada. The day finally arrived in December, when the global giant opened its first store in Winnipeg, home to the country's largest per-capita population of Filipino-Canadians. Hundreds lined up in -27 C weather for Jollibee's Filipino and American dishes, with workers politely trying to keep the queue moving with a $50 limit per order. Some families drove in from Regina, 570 kilometres away, or carried food home on planes. "In much the way that Canadians beam with pride when Tim Hortons expands into the U.S., there's a sense of pride when a Filipino company makes it big abroad," says Ron Cantiveros, Jollibee fan and publisher of the Filipino Journal.

Asia's largest restaurant chain, Jollibee has a footprint in the Middle East, plus 34 stores in the U.S., all serving Filipinos nostalgic for a taste of home. "We have been eager to bring Jollibee to Canada sooner," says Jose Miñana, Jollibee Foods Corp.'s group president for North America and foreign franchise brands. "However, it was very important to secure a good-sized store in the right location." Jollibee promises to establish four more Canadian stores by 2018, including two in the Toronto area. At the Winnipeg opening, the chain's bee mascot, clad in a toque and scarf, arrived in a traditional Filipino jeepney—a fitting fusion of hometown pride and local savvy.

What's to eat?

Jollibee's menu mixes traditional Filipino dishes with its spin on American favourites like burgers, fries and soft drinks

  • In the chain’s popular Jolly Spaghetti, a sweet tomato sauce with ground pork, minced ham and hot-dog slices is loaded with shredded cheese
  • Jollibee’s flagship burger, the Aloha Yum Burger, offers a third of a pound of beef topped with bacon, cheese, honey-mustard dressing and a slice of pineapple
  • Like a Pinoy version of pad Thai, the Palabok Fiesta features rice noodles topped with crispy pork crackling, smoked fish flakes, pork, shrimp and egg slices
  • Hot diced peach and mango oozes from the flaky golden crust of the top-selling Peach Mango Pie
  • A favourite of foodie Anthony Bourdain, this fast-food version of a Halo-Halo shaved-ice sundae mixes purple-yam ice cream, leche flan, fruit and condensed milk

We asked customers in Winnipeg three questions: Why are you here? What did you order? And how would you rate it out of 10?