in praise of Jollibee

I do not often visit Jollibees but this morning I emerged from an Ozamis city pension house with a friend who expressed an interest in going there for breakfast.

when we got there I saw they had a 169 peso dish on offer that included :

* 2 pieces of chicken

* rice

* bowl of mashed potato

* bowl of sweetcorn

* gravy

* drink (coke, ice tea, coffee etc).

* ice cream sundae.

this is good enough for 2, especially if you get some extra rice for 10 pesos.

glad to see that Jollibee is persevering in its quest to continue shoving it right up the @ss, of Mcdonalds in the Philippines.

 

Absolutely agree…I'll take Jollibee any day over McDonalds rubbish…Good value, good products (ok the spaghetti is definitely an acquired taste) but I enjoy most of what they sell. Well run, clean, and enjoyable for the most part. Great to see them expanding overseas as well. I would like to see more Wendy's in regional cities though…seems to be very Manila centric…Wendy's is the top of pyramid for fast food in my opinion…..

 

Sounds generous, but except for the coffee, none of the above ingredients could remotely be considered as being part of a breakfast meal to satisfy western tastebuds.

 

Kind of differs everywhere Broadside….Breakfast in McDonalds in Hawaii…and Japan....not much different….

 

that is just how, Jollibee kicked Mcdonalds @ss in the Philippinres - and they are the only company, anywhere in the world, that have ever done this (everywhere else, apart from the Philippines, Mcdonalds is number 1 in the burger-type takeaway food market share).

but in a way that was Jollibee's master stroke. They realised that despite the Philippines having a relatively westernised diet compared to the other Asian countries, that Filipinos nevertheless weren't that interested in the burger and fries type meals western consumers want and is the mainstay of the restaurants there. Hence in came not just the rice, but the spaghetti, which, embarrassingly, after holding out for a while, Mcdonalds had to follow suit and put on their menus to stay alive.

I don't know how many girls I have offered the choice of Mcdonalds or Jollibee to in big cities in the Philippines (the only places where there is a choice ; smaller towns have a Jollibee only, and Chowkings and Mang Inasaals open up in smaller towns after the Jollibee does well before Mcdonalds do).

my guess is about 30 girls. And out of those, only ONE - out of 30 - expressed a preference for Mcdonalds. This was in Bacolod after a night out at Goldenfields. And that was precisely because, unlike most Filipinos usually do, she wanted a burger and fries type meal on that particular occasion. She said that had she wanted what she usually did, i.e. a chicken and rice or spaghetti type meal, then there is no way she would have chosen Mcdonalds, who she believed were much inferior with except the burgers and fries, not normally that important to her.

yeah they axed that. Filipinos weren't interested.

I find the best Jollibee breakfast is the budget beefsteak meal. Beefsteak, egg, rice, gravy and coffee for 69 pesos. Hard to beat that for price in an airconditioned restaurant.

 

Just a sign of the times here UK, Roger.
A new string of cafes being opened by Sayers under the guise of "Poundcafe"
Offering bacon sausage beans and hashbrown £1, but if want a coffee it also is a £1.

 

John Boy, Sainsburys used to do a 95pence breakfast with eggs, bacon, mushrooms, beans or tomatoes, and coffee, with a free refill of coffee. I guess inflation has killed that one off now.

 

Finding a Sainsbuys, would take you to lunchtime and most likely would cost you that (95p) in Bus fare. Another Dying breed (Like the Lyons Corner House, for Afternnoon tea when on Leave.) Ah Those were the Days!

 

No bus fare needed JP. Over 60 so use your free bus pass :p