After much anticipation, the wildly popular Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee is set to open its doors to the public in Calgary on Friday at Pacific Place Mall in the city’s northeast.
The company is often dubbed “the McDonald’s of the Philippines” and is known for its fried chicken and sweet-style spaghetti sauce.
Last month, the fast-food chain opened its first Alberta location in Edmonton, resulting in massive lineups of excited customers. The opening also set a Jollibee record.
One person waited in line for nearly three days to be the first customer at the Edmonton location. They set a record for the longest wait at a Jollibee opening.
To celebrate the Calgary opening, Jollibee will be offering up a promotion for the first 50 people in line, the company said in a Facebook post.
“#ItsOurTurn Calgary! The first 50 people in line at our grand opening will receive One Year of Joy* with a purchase of $25 or more,” the post read.
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“Line up early.”
The extremely long lineups in Edmonton also prompted a pair of Edmontonians to look into a side hustle; standing in line for people who don’t want to wait.
The two entrepreneurs, Maryellle Gana and Ivana Recinos, charged $15 an hour for their “Skip the Line” service where they would wait in line and purchase food for those who are more limited on time.
Jollibee is encouraging Calgarians to line up early to get their hands on the company’s promotions.
Jollibee Calgary will be located at 1050-999 36 St. N.E.
–With files from Global News’ Phil Heidenreich and Slav Kornik