When customers start lining up the day before your grand opening, you know you’re onto something special. Jollibee, the globally beloved fast-food brand known for its crispy Chickenjoy, Chicken Sandwich, and Peach Mango Pie, just proved that the Beaver State is more than ready for a little joy.

On May 30, Jollibee officially opened the doors to its first Oregon location in Hillsboro’s Tanasbourne Village shopping center. What followed was a grand opening event that shattered expectations — and records. With thousands of transactions on opening day, drive-thru lines wrapping around the block and fans camping out overnight, the launch was a resounding success and a key signal of the brand’s growing footprint across North America.

“This is really a proof of concept for the Oregon market,” said Beth Dela CruzPresident of Jollibee Group North America. “Our goal is to open more stores there and make it even closer for people who don’t live in Hillsboro. We are looking to capture the greater Portland area. Having a successful opening proves that we are ready to open more stores in the market.”

A Record-Breaking Day — With Fans To Match

While Jollibee openings are often high-energy affairs, Hillsboro’s debut raised the bar. Customers began lining up as early as 2:30 p.m. the day before the store opened. The first drive-thru customer arrived at 2:17 p.m. on Thursday — nearly 19 hours before the first orders were even taken.

“It is the first store in the state of Oregon, and we also selected a very good neighborhood where you have nighttime density and daytime population,” Dela Cruz said. “The opening was a pleasant surprise for us — we did a record-breaking number of 15,000 transactions for the day.”

To meet the overwhelming demand, the Hillsboro store pulled out all the stops. “We did eight lanes in the drive-thru — that is how we were able to keep up with the demand,” Dela Cruz said. “We received great feedback — the quality of food was really the gold standard and beyond what they even expected. Even though our customers had to wait for a long time, people were happy.”

Some fans brought lawn chairs. Some brought tents. All brought an appetite. Sisters Kris Asafo-Adjei and Kat Harris, for example, camped out with folding chairs and a copy of “Pride and Prejudice” to pass the time. 

“It’s just home to us,” Asafo-Adjei told The Oregonian. “To be able to just share it with my kids.” Their grandmother used to take them to Jollibee in the Philippines. That emotional connection to the brand is what Jollibee is built on.

From customers eating Chickenjoy off their car trunks to families snapping photos with Jollibee mascots, the store’s opening quickly became more than a launch — it was a celebration of community, nostalgia and shared joy.

More Than a Grand Opening — A Strategic Milestone

While the Hillsboro store’s performance is impressive on its own, it also marks an important step in Jollibee’s North American expansion strategy. With over 1,700 locations worldwide and more than 100 in North America, the brand is accelerating toward its goal of becoming one of the top five restaurant companies in the world.

“We were still surprised,” Dela Cruz said. “We have stores in the market, but we are always surprised when they surpass the highest operating in the system.”

Jollibee’s aggressive U.S. expansion includes new markets like Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Seattle. But Hillsboro’s record-setting performance shows that secondary markets with strong daytime and nighttime traffic — like suburban Portland — are just as capable of delivering high-volume returns.

Jollibee stores in North America already boast some of the highest average unit volumes in the QSR segment, with free-standing locations averaging $4.55 million annually and some in-line locations surpassing $9 million.*

A Taste of What’s To Come

Jollibee’s Hillsboro debut reflects more than a strong day of sales — it reflects the power of a brand with deep cultural resonance and cross-market appeal. Originally founded in the Philippines in 1978, Jollibee has evolved into a fast-food powerhouse, blending comfort food and family tradition with operational excellence.

The Oregon opening represents a key step in bringing that joyful experience to even more customers across North America.

“Each new successful opening proves that we are ready to open more stores in markets like Portland and beyond,” Dela Cruz said. “We’re very excited to continue spreading the joy.”

The total initial investment necessary to open a Jollibee franchise ranges from $1.64 million to $4.89 million, depending on location and market type, including a franchise fee of $40,000. For more information on franchising with Jollibee, visit: https://1851franchise.com/jollibee/info.

*Annual gross sales is derived from 71 reporting locations open for all of 2024 (70 corporate and 1 franchised; 33 free-standing and 38 in-line). Annual gross sales for free-standing ranged from $1,731,944 to $8,752,538 with an average of $4,552,103 (14/42.4% exceeded avg). Annual gross sales for in-line ranged from $2,047,256 to $9,906,004 with an average of $4,626,370 (16/42.1% exceeded avg). Some outlets have earned this amount. Your individual results may differ. There is no assurance that you’ll earn as much. See Item 19 of the FDD.

When customers start lining up the day before your grand opening, you know you’re onto something special. Jollibee, the globally beloved fast-food brand known for its crispy Chickenjoy, Chicken Sandwich, and Peach Mango Pie, just proved that the Beaver State is more than ready for a little joy.

On May 30, Jollibee officially opened the doors to its first Oregon location in Hillsboro’s Tanasbourne Village shopping center. What followed was a grand opening event that shattered expectations — and records. With thousands of transactions on opening day, drive-thru lines wrapping around the block and fans camping out overnight, the launch was a resounding success and a key signal of the brand’s growing footprint across North America.

“This is really a proof of concept for the Oregon market,” said Beth Dela CruzPresident of Jollibee Group North America. “Our goal is to open more stores there and make it even closer for people who don’t live in Hillsboro. We are looking to capture the greater Portland area. Having a successful opening proves that we are ready to open more stores in the market.”

A Record-Breaking Day — With Fans To Match

While Jollibee openings are often high-energy affairs, Hillsboro’s debut raised the bar. Customers began lining up as early as 2:30 p.m. the day before the store opened. The first drive-thru customer arrived at 2:17 p.m. on Thursday — nearly 19 hours before the first orders were even taken.

“It is the first store in the state of Oregon, and we also selected a very good neighborhood where you have nighttime density and daytime population,” Dela Cruz said. “The opening was a pleasant surprise for us — we did a record-breaking number of 15,000 transactions for the day.”

To meet the overwhelming demand, the Hillsboro store pulled out all the stops. “We did eight lanes in the drive-thru — that is how we were able to keep up with the demand,” Dela Cruz said. “We received great feedback — the quality of food was really the gold standard and beyond what they even expected. Even though our customers had to wait for a long time, people were happy.”

Some fans brought lawn chairs. Some brought tents. All brought an appetite. Sisters Kris Asafo-Adjei and Kat Harris, for example, camped out with folding chairs and a copy of “Pride and Prejudice” to pass the time. 

“It’s just home to us,” Asafo-Adjei told The Oregonian. “To be able to just share it with my kids.” Their grandmother used to take them to Jollibee in the Philippines. That emotional connection to the brand is what Jollibee is built on.

From customers eating Chickenjoy off their car trunks to families snapping photos with Jollibee mascots, the store’s opening quickly became more than a launch — it was a celebration of community, nostalgia and shared joy.

More Than a Grand Opening — A Strategic Milestone

While the Hillsboro store’s performance is impressive on its own, it also marks an important step in Jollibee’s North American expansion strategy. With over 1,700 locations worldwide and more than 100 in North America, the brand is accelerating toward its goal of becoming one of the top five restaurant companies in the world.

“We were still surprised,” Dela Cruz said. “We have stores in the market, but we are always surprised when they surpass the highest operating in the system.”

Jollibee’s aggressive U.S. expansion includes new markets like Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Seattle. But Hillsboro’s record-setting performance shows that secondary markets with strong daytime and nighttime traffic — like suburban Portland — are just as capable of delivering high-volume returns.

Jollibee stores in North America already boast some of the highest average unit volumes in the QSR segment, with free-standing locations averaging $4.55 million annually and some in-line locations surpassing $9 million.*

A Taste of What’s To Come

Jollibee’s Hillsboro debut reflects more than a strong day of sales — it reflects the power of a brand with deep cultural resonance and cross-market appeal. Originally founded in the Philippines in 1978, Jollibee has evolved into a fast-food powerhouse, blending comfort food and family tradition with operational excellence.

The Oregon opening represents a key step in bringing that joyful experience to even more customers across North America.

“Each new successful opening proves that we are ready to open more stores in markets like Portland and beyond,” Dela Cruz said. “We’re very excited to continue spreading the joy.”

The total initial investment necessary to open a Jollibee franchise ranges from $1.64 million to $4.89 million, depending on location and market type, including a franchise fee of $40,000. For more information on franchising with Jollibee, visit: https://1851franchise.com/jollibee/info.

*Annual gross sales is derived from 71 reporting locations open for all of 2024 (70 corporate and 1 franchised; 33 free-standing and 38 in-line). Annual gross sales for free-standing ranged from $1,731,944 to $8,752,538 with an average of $4,552,103 (14/42.4% exceeded avg). Annual gross sales for in-line ranged from $2,047,256 to $9,906,004 with an average of $4,626,370 (16/42.1% exceeded avg). Some outlets have earned this amount. Your individual results may differ. There is no assurance that you’ll earn as much. See Item 19 of the FDD.

Don’t Miss the Next Big Franchise Story

Sign up for the 1851 Franchise newsletter to get our biggest stories before everyone else

By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy.

Luca Piacentini

About the Author

Luca Piacentini

Follow

1851 Managing Editor

All Articles

No related articles found