Jollibee Singapore is now serving their Chickenjoy with nasi lemak, a traditional Malaysian dish of sambal, ikan bilis, and coconut rice. This isn’t their only innovation during the pandemic though. Aside from this new addition to the Singaporean menu, Jollibee also opened their first-ever cloud kitchen. The fast food giant continues its global ventures despite losing around $336 million due to the pandemic.
Jollibee’s strategy to grow their market: create location- and culture-specific menus. The group included a chili chicken option in their Vietnam outlets while Arabic rice and chicken wraps are available in Qatar. Their Brunei location offers pita sandwiches, while chicken tenders are part of their menu in Hong Kong and UAE. Other menu items not seen in local outlets include garden salads, squid rings, and pumpkin chicken soup.
The variety of food offerings shows that the restaurant chain places great importance in market research. Customer preferences, purchasing capability, and cultural roots influence strategy for growth areas, including expansion.
Aside from cloud kitchens and select menus, buying overseas brands is part of Jollibee’s expansion plans. Their first international acquisition was China’s Yonghe King in 2004, then they later obtained the chains Hong Zhuang Yuan and San Pin Wang. Jollibee also has a joint venture with Vietnamese coffee shop Highlands Coffee and noodle shop Pho24. They also recently opened the first Tim Ho Wan in mainland China. Locally, the fast food giant houses Greenwich, Mang Inasal, and Chowking.