How Jollibee beat McDonald’s to become the Philippines’ fast-food chain of choice – meet billionaire Tony Tan Caktiong, the ‘chickenjoy’ entrepreneur
Big Mac? Whopper? How about a Yumburger – while much of the world fell for American fast food chains, the Philippines built its own proudly home-grown brand attuned to Southeast Asian taste-buds – but it also made one man very, very rich
Would you believe that Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee started as an ice cream parlour? The sight of that iconic bee logo brings a smile to any Filipino, anywhere in the world. And why wouldn't it? It's the country's equivalent to McDonald's and being home-grown, taps into local taste-buds like no other fast-food chain. That’s ultimately all down to the business smarts and eternal optimism of founder Tony Tan Caktiong.
From Fujian to Davao
Caktiong’s family were poor Chinese immigrants from Fujian province. His keen eye as a restaurateur stemmed from his father, who initially worked in kitchen operations in China and as a cook at a Buddhist monastery in Manila. They opened a restaurant afterwards in Davao, a city in the southern Philippines.
Inspired by a visit to an ice cream plant
Caktiong was able to complete a degree in civil engineering at the University of Santo Tomas because of his father’s restaurant business. But fate had other plans for him. In 1975, at 22 years old, he was inspired by a visit to an ice cream plant and shelled out US$7,000 to buy a franchise of Magnolia Ice Cream. He built two ice cream houses in Manila, one in Cubao and the other in Quiapo.
By now, Caktiong was a Filipino at heart. He and his wife, Grace, knew that Pinoys love food, love the aromas associated with it. That meant serving hot food and so, in the early 1970s, they alighted on serving hamburgers.
A taste for success