Despite its increasing international recognition, Filipino cuisine is still woefully underrepresented in Jakarta and the rest of Indonesia. But after finding success in nearby Singapore, The Philippines’ most famous fast food export has announced plans to enter the F&B market of its fellow ASEAN archipelago nation, bringing their legendary Chickenjoy to Indonesia’s ayam goreng loving masses by 2019.
In an interview with The Straits Times, Dennis Flores, Jollibee’s president and head of international business in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, talked about how the company’s strong showing in the Little Red Dot (amongst local Singaporeans as well as Filipino expats) has given them all the reason they need to open at least 15 more outlets in the city-state over the next five years, as well as making their long-anticipated push into Indonesia.
“It is a market we can’t ignore. It is a chicken market. If you are familiar with Indonesia, everyone there loves chicken. The big players are all ‘chicken players’. We believe with our superior products, our chances are very good,” Flores said.
Indeed, almost every major fast-food chain in Indonesia features chicken as a big part of their menu. Hamburger giants such as McDonald’s and Burger King have adapted their offerings to include deep-fried fowl, served alongside rice, in order to compete with the country’s most dominant fast food player, KFC.
Jollibee’s Chickenjoy is not only insanely popular in The Philippines, but has also developed a cult-like following in other country’s Jollibee has expanded into. For example, F&B blog Foodbeast rated it the 3rd best fast food fried chicken purveyor in the US, saying that “What makes it stand out beyond the rest, however, is a gravy packed with flavors of onion and celery that is absolutely ethereal.”
Jollibee has some seriously ambitious plans for Indonesia, with a tentative goal of opening 150 stores across the country over 10 years. But will they be able to hold their own against Indonesia’s own beloved ayam goreng restaurants or wrest market share away from KFC’s stranglehold? As long as they never put chocolate sauce on their chicken, we think they’ve got a pretty good shot.
Editor’s note: As some of our readers have pointed out, Jollibee actually expanded into Indonesia once before, with two stores in Jakarta back in the 1990s, but were forced to leave the market due to the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis. Based on the excitement over the news of their return, it looks like they’ll probably have more success this time around.
