Popular Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee will open its first location in the D.C. area Thursday at the Westfield Wheaton Mall, at 2800 University Blvd. West in Wheaton, Maryland.
D.C. is part of the chain’s big expansion push into the U.S. market. Since the beginning of this year, it has opened five new U.S. locations and expects to open 300 locations throughout North America by 2024.
It has signed a lease for a second D.C. area location in Alexandria, Virginia, at the Plaza at Landmark, at 4809 Beauregard St., though no opening date for the second location has been set.
Jollibee opened its first U.S. location in 1998. With the Wheaton opening, it has 49 stores in the U.S.
Jollibee’s menu includes Chickenjoy, a crispy pressure-fried chicken served with dipping gravy, and Jolly Spaghetti served with a sweet sauce and chunks of ham and hot dog. It also serves chicken sandwiches, burgers and shrimp dishes.
For now, the Wheaton Mall location will be limited to call ahead and pickup orders, with the dining room area closed until further notice because of COVID-19 precautions.
Jollibee is the largest fast-food brand in the Philippines, and has more than 1,400 locations in Asia, the Middle East, U.K and North America.
The late Anthony Bourdain once called the spaghetti at Jollibee “deranged, yet strangely alluring.”
