Jollibee, the popular Filipino fast-food chain, opened its first location in Seattle, Washington, on Friday, making it the first ever in the city.
According to the Seattle Times, Jollibee has been teasing fans of the fast food chain with rumors of a Seattle location. Last year, Seattle residents were excited when they discovered in front of the former MOD Pizza space at Rainier Valley Square. In October 2023, the fast food chain announced that it would be coming to Seattle the following year.
The Seattle location, situated in Rainer Valley, opened it’s doors at 9 a.m. on Friday, to a busy crowd.
“We’re really excited to have our first store in Seattle proper here in Rainier Valley, the diverse community here is really perfect,” said Nick Bedell, the Marketing Director at Jollibee Foods Corporation, in an interview with KING-TV. “and we love the fact that there’s such a rich culinary scene here that we get to be a part of.”
Joshua Padilla, a member of KING-TV’s marketing team described Jollibee as “the Disneyland of fast food restaurants in the Philippines and everyone loves it.”
Founded in the Philippines in 1975, Jollibee currently has 1,500 locations worldwide. The Seattle location is the 3rd in Washington state, with one opening in Tukwila in 2010, and a second in Tacoma last year. It is also the 101st franchise in North America. Jollibee representatives told the Seattle Times that the chain plans to expand in the Pacific Northwest, with the next opening planned for Portland, Oregon.
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