Filipino Powerhouse Jollibee Is Finally Opening Their 1st Chicagoland Restaurant This Week

Since February 2015, Chicagoland fans of Jollibee —the Philippines-based fast-food chain— have eagerly-anticpated the arrival of the company's first restaurant in the Midwest. Their salvation is near, as the company today announced they'll open on Friday, July 29 at 3534 W. Touhy Ave. in suburban Skokie.

Typically, fans camp out at the restaurant before the first day as lines develop, snaking around the restaurant. The restaurant will offer giveaways, and it's a celebration of Filipino pride. Officials had said they'll give away 300 dolls of their mascot, Jollibee, a debonair red and yellow giant bee dressed in a chef's hat and blazer. The Philippines is a rare market where a "local" chain is more popular than McDonald's. The company's expansion has gone global, including restaurants in Los Angeles and Houston.

More to come next week, and hopefully more on a second Jollibee slated for Chicago. Get pumped —the taste of that sweet spaghetti is almost here.

[Photo: Facebook]

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