Jollibee - Building a Filipino Multinational Brand

By: Ernesto Tanmantiong, President, Jollibee Business Unit

When we first ventured into the fast-food business 30 years ago, we didn’t have any deliberate or complex strategy. There was only one thing we were sure of, we were committed to become number 1; to be the best and to be known worldwide. While our vision was, and still is, ambitious, it is a vision with commitment. We knew that this could only be achieved if we always put our customers first. The Jollibee mission, “To serve great tasting food, bringing the joy of eating to everyone” has served as a guide for the brand and the business. This mission has become the battle cry that has inspired each and everyone of us from the very beginning to pursue excellence and overcome global giants.

While our fiercest competitor initially possessed financial and technical resources far beyond our grasp, we remained steadfast. We had a significant advantage; we had a deep understanding of the local market. One important insight that we had learned early on is that we Pinoys are particular about what we eat. We have discriminating palates. Pinoys love food that are very aromatic with lots of flavor and that is exactly what Jollibee food is all about. I truly believe that the term “langhap-sarap” best epitomizes the taste of our food, “sa amoy pa lang, masarap na.”

It was our father who taught us the importance of serving great-tasting food. He always said that every customer must walk out the restaurant’s doors with a full stomach and a satisfied smile. To this day, “langhap-sarap” serves as our guide when we improve and expand our product lineup.

Happy and satisfied customers are the life and breadth of Jollibee. Every member of the Jollibee team is committed to providing each customer the best dining experience inside and outside the Jollibee store. We constantly improve and innovate our product offerings and services to address our customers’ evolving lifestyles and future needs.

As it turns out, our instincts were right and our hardwork paid off. Just recently we celebrated the opening of our 600th Jollibee store in the municipality of Aparri, a milestone that marks Jollibee’s coast-to-coast dominance. Today, with a store network spanning the southernmost part of the archipelago in Basilan to the northernmost tip in Aparri, Jollibee has indeed emerged as the dominant leader in the Philippine fast food industry, an area that globally, is dominated by multinationals. In fact, Jollibee’s sales figure in 2007 accounted for more than the combined sales of the four other multinational players in the chicken-burger category.

With an estimated 32,000 Jollibee employees serving 1.5 million customers daily, much more can be said of our efforts at professionalizing the company and elevating the state of the Philippine fast food industry. Store operations are ably supported by dynamic professionals in Marketing, Computer Management and Engineering. Service crew and managers are given modern and comprehensive training programs, updated in the latest store operations systems and people-oriented management skills, as well as presented opportunities to further their food service careers.

Our commissaries have also contributed greatly in raising our standards, achieving awards in the process. Our P1.5 billion state-of-the-art Laguna commissary is the biggest and most advanced in the country and among Asia’s best. Our three commissary system sites are manned by high-caliber teams that aim for the highest quality.

I am very proud to note that throughout the years, Jollibee’s business success in the local market has been recognized and acknowledged by international institutions. For eight consecutive years, the Asian Wall Street Journal Review 200 has cited Jollibee as the Philippines’ Most Admired Company. In 2004, my brother, Jollibee Founder and CEO, Tony Tan Caktiong, was awarded World Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young besting 30 other finalists.

In 2005, Forbes Asia Magazine recognized Jollibee as one of the 200 “Best under a Billion” companies in Asia out of 11,000 Asian public companies. Jollibee was also awarded “Best at Consumer Goods” by London-based financial magazine Euromoney in its 10th annual poll of Asia’s Best Managed Companies. We accept these international accolades with pride as they serve as testament that the FILIPINO CAN and offer inspiration to those who dream.

Fresh from sealing our commitment to serving each and every Filipino family along the archipelago, Jollibee once again marks another milestone with the celebration of our 30th anniversary this 2008. For our pearl anniversary, we want to focus our efforts in aggressively penetrating the international market by opening more stores in key countries within the year.

We want Filipinos to be proud of Jollibee because it is a brand that was born in our hearts. Our aim is to make Jollibee as well known as any brand in the world. We want Filipinos to be known and admired as a business leader - at par, if not better, than its counterparts worldwide.

We have already made inroads in several parts of the world with 36 Jollibee branches in countries such as the USA, China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Brunei, Saipan and soon in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia paving the way for Jollibee to become a serious player in the international arena. It is with hope that we rise to the challenge, eager to achieve and prove that the Filipino can create a big multinational brand.