Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee is to open 35 restaurants across New South Wales and Victoria, marking its Australian debut and creating 900 direct jobs.
The expansion will bring $60 million in investment to Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced in Manila on Sunday.
Jollibee, the Philippines’ largest fast-food chain, is best known for its fried chicken and already operates more than 1,600 restaurants across 17 countries, including the UK, United States, Canada and Singapore.
Mr Albanese said the brand was familiar to many Filipino Australians and welcomed its decision to expand into the country.
“I welcome investment that supports Australian jobs and strengthens our economic partnerships,” he said.
He added: “Food brings people together, and Jollibee is a great example of the cultural connections that strengthen our relationship with the Philippines.”
In a Facebook post, the prime minister described the arrival as “a taste of home for so many Filipino-Australians”, adding that it would mean “Creating hundreds of jobs and bringing a little more Chickenjoy Down Under”.
Jollibee’s Australian expansion
Jollibee chief executive Ernesto Tanmantiong said the company was “proud and excited” to expand into Australia.
He linked the move to the Filipino concept of bayanihan, describing it as “the spirit of the community comes together to help one another succeed”.
“In Australia, you have a similar value that you call ‘mateship’,” he said. “Today, bayanihan meets mateship, united by shared belief, we are stronger together.”
More than 400,000 people in Australia were born in the Philippines, making Filipinos the country’s fifth-largest migrant community. Greater Sydney has the largest Filipino population in Australia.
The new restaurants will make Filipino dishes more accessible to that community while introducing the cuisine to other Australians.
