Jollibee has been a bit of a hidden gem in the U.S. restaurant world for years. It's a huge global brand with a totally devoted fan base, and it's been quietly growing its foundation mostly with company-owned stores. But that's changing fast. As the brand starts franchising more, 2026 is going to be a huge turning point in their bigger story of national expansion.
“We are on track to scale to 500 units by 2030,” said Peter Wright, vice president of franchising for Jollibee. “In 2026, we are looking to open new company-owned and new franchise locations in various markets across the country.”
The goal for the near future is simple: create a pipeline of new franchise stores in the U.S. and Canada by building smart, focusing on specific markets and partnering with the right people.
Rather than racing into entirely new regions, Jollibee’s 2026 openings will largely deepen its presence in markets where the brand already performs.
“Most of our projected openings in 2026 are going to be in markets where we are already operating,” Wright said. “We’re focused on building critical mass in the major regions of the country where we already have brand awareness.”
Those priority regions include California, Texas, Florida and the New York tri-state area — markets where Jollibee’s combination of strong sales volumes and growing mainstream awareness creates natural expansion runways.
The approach is intentionally concentric. Each new store strengthens the ecosystem around it, amplifying marketing efficiency, operational leverage and brand visibility. “Building concentrically around those markets allows us to build on existing demand rather than starting from scratch,” Wright added.
A defining feature of Jollibee’s U.S. strategy is that franchising is not replacing corporate growth — it’s running alongside it.
“It is significant that we are continuing to open company-owned stores in addition to franchise locations,” Wright said. “One of the great advantages for franchisees coming into the system is that we are already a big operator of Jollibee stores.”
That operator-first mindset shapes everything from real estate decisions to marketing playbooks. Unlike brands that launch franchising before their systems are fully built, Jollibee enters franchising with decades of operational infrastructure already in place.
“We have that support in place — real estate, store development, operations, marketing — because we’re doing it already for more than 100 stores,” Wright said. “We have the resources, people and tools to support franchisees from day one.”
Jollibee’s expansion roadmap is underpinned by economics that consistently turn heads among experienced developers.
“Our average unit volumes are very attractive to developers — about $4.5 million AUV,” Wright said. “There’s not a lot of franchise opportunities out there that offer that, and still have great territories available.”
Those volumes allow Jollibee to compete for premier real estate in both urban and suburban environments. They also support multi-unit development strategies, which are central to the brand’s franchise recruitment model moving forward.
If there’s one area where Jollibee’s roadmap departs from traditional QSR playbooks, it’s real estate flexibility.
“The flexibility in our real estate strategy is a real plus,” Wright said. “We already have stores operating as free-standing units, end caps, inline locations, walk-ups and mall locations.”
The Times Square walk-up store often serves as the clearest example. It proves that Jollibee doesn’t need a single prototype to succeed. What matters more is matching format to customer behavior.
“What it’s really about is finding locations that offer an attractive business opportunity based on the customer base,” Wright said. “There are customers who love fried chicken in all market types.”
That adaptability opens doors in non-traditional and under-served pockets of major metros — white space where rigid concepts simply can’t go.
“If they’re shopping at the mall with their family, they can find Jollibee,” Wright said. “If they’re traveling and want to hit it right off the highway, they can do that too. It allows us to meet a much larger customer base.”
Hitting 500 North American restaurants will be a huge step, but it still feels like Jollibee is just getting started. The brand is taking advantage of its worldwide size, its solid way of running things, and that special way it has grown from a beloved cult favorite to a mainstream success to build something that lasts. Every new location makes the next one stronger. And every franchisee is key to writing the next chapter of the brand.
“We’re already a big operator, and that keeps us closely aligned with our communities and our franchisees,” Wright said. “That alignment is what allows us to grow the right way.”
For more information, visit: https://1851franchise.com/jollibee.
Jollibee
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Vice President of Franchising Peter Wright outlines priority markets, pipeline growth, multi-unit recruitment and the next phase of Jollibee's expansion in the United States.
Jollibee has been a bit of a hidden gem in the U.S. restaurant world for years. It's a huge global brand with a totally devoted fan base, and it's been quietly growing its foundation mostly with company-owned stores. But that's changing fast. As the brand starts franchising more, 2026 is going to be a huge turning point in their bigger story of national expansion.
“We are on track to scale to 500 units by 2030,” said Peter Wright, vice president of franchising for Jollibee. “In 2026, we are looking to open new company-owned and new franchise locations in various markets across the country.”
The goal for the near future is simple: create a pipeline of new franchise stores in the U.S. and Canada by building smart, focusing on specific markets and partnering with the right people.
Rather than racing into entirely new regions, Jollibee’s 2026 openings will largely deepen its presence in markets where the brand already performs.
“Most of our projected openings in 2026 are going to be in markets where we are already operating,” Wright said. “We’re focused on building critical mass in the major regions of the country where we already have brand awareness.”
Those priority regions include California, Texas, Florida and the New York tri-state area — markets where Jollibee’s combination of strong sales volumes and growing mainstream awareness creates natural expansion runways.
The approach is intentionally concentric. Each new store strengthens the ecosystem around it, amplifying marketing efficiency, operational leverage and brand visibility. “Building concentrically around those markets allows us to build on existing demand rather than starting from scratch,” Wright added.
A defining feature of Jollibee’s U.S. strategy is that franchising is not replacing corporate growth — it’s running alongside it.
“It is significant that we are continuing to open company-owned stores in addition to franchise locations,” Wright said. “One of the great advantages for franchisees coming into the system is that we are already a big operator of Jollibee stores.”
That operator-first mindset shapes everything from real estate decisions to marketing playbooks. Unlike brands that launch franchising before their systems are fully built, Jollibee enters franchising with decades of operational infrastructure already in place.
“We have that support in place — real estate, store development, operations, marketing — because we’re doing it already for more than 100 stores,” Wright said. “We have the resources, people and tools to support franchisees from day one.”
Jollibee’s expansion roadmap is underpinned by economics that consistently turn heads among experienced developers.
“Our average unit volumes are very attractive to developers — about $4.5 million AUV,” Wright said. “There’s not a lot of franchise opportunities out there that offer that, and still have great territories available.”
Those volumes allow Jollibee to compete for premier real estate in both urban and suburban environments. They also support multi-unit development strategies, which are central to the brand’s franchise recruitment model moving forward.
If there’s one area where Jollibee’s roadmap departs from traditional QSR playbooks, it’s real estate flexibility.
“The flexibility in our real estate strategy is a real plus,” Wright said. “We already have stores operating as free-standing units, end caps, inline locations, walk-ups and mall locations.”
The Times Square walk-up store often serves as the clearest example. It proves that Jollibee doesn’t need a single prototype to succeed. What matters more is matching format to customer behavior.
“What it’s really about is finding locations that offer an attractive business opportunity based on the customer base,” Wright said. “There are customers who love fried chicken in all market types.”
That adaptability opens doors in non-traditional and under-served pockets of major metros — white space where rigid concepts simply can’t go.
“If they’re shopping at the mall with their family, they can find Jollibee,” Wright said. “If they’re traveling and want to hit it right off the highway, they can do that too. It allows us to meet a much larger customer base.”
Hitting 500 North American restaurants will be a huge step, but it still feels like Jollibee is just getting started. The brand is taking advantage of its worldwide size, its solid way of running things, and that special way it has grown from a beloved cult favorite to a mainstream success to build something that lasts. Every new location makes the next one stronger. And every franchisee is key to writing the next chapter of the brand.
“We’re already a big operator, and that keeps us closely aligned with our communities and our franchisees,” Wright said. “That alignment is what allows us to grow the right way.”
For more information, visit: https://1851franchise.com/jollibee.
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