While most Dubai residents posted cheeky photos on their Instagram feed about Stars Wars’ “May the 4th be with you” quotes, I, along with most Filipinos in Dubai, buzzed about Jollibee’s grand opening on that same day. It was a joyous moment for us all.
For those of you not in the know, Jollibee is an incredibly popular fast food chain from the Philippines.
Naturally, I was there standing in line with my fellow countrymen on what seemed to be longest line the Dubai Mall food court has ever seen. I couldn’t help but giggle as I see passersby confused about the buzz surrounding a fast food restaurant they’ve never even heard of before.
To put this frenzy into perspective: it’s only restaurant in the Dubai Mall food court with a ticketing system for customers to wait for their turns.
It wasn’t long until people from all nationalities joined the line as well, curious about the supposed exotic Filipino food they were expecting only to see that Jollibee has almost the exact same menu as McDonald’s.
Yes, that’s right. Jollibee sells burgers, fried chicken and everything else you would expect from a fast food joint. The main thing they’re selling, however, is nostalgia.
Filipinos can, and will, wait a long time just for a taste of home. Jollibee is absolutely huge in the Philippines. Adding to its popularity at home, there are a staggering number of Filipinos all over the world who are working away from their families, which is why you can find nearly 1,000 Jollibee branches worldwide, catering to all the overseas Filipino workers giving them the chance to feel closer to home. It’s the same reason I waited four hours in a jam-packed crowd for a Jollibee meal of burger, fries and Coke this past month.
But let me tell you, the four hours were worth it.