Jollibee is ‘zeroing in’ on Fresno. Will fans finally get their chicken?
Fans of Jollibee in Fresno have long yearned for the popular Filipino fried chicken restaurant to open a location in Fresno.
That hope is one step closer to reality after the company declared it is “zeroing in on Fresno as one of its most promising growth markets in California’s Central Valley” in a news release Tuesday.
“Fresno is the next major step,” it said in the email.
It did not provide any specific locations for future restaurants. A Jollibee representative could not immediately be reached for comment.
Jollibee is an extremely popular global Filipino fast-food restaurant specializing in fried chicken. Or as it calls it, “Chickenjoy.”
It also sells “jolly spaghetti” made with ham and hot dogs, the traditional Filipino noodle dish Palabok Fiesta, pineapple juice and more.
Jollibee has 33 locations in California, many with drive-thrus. The closest to Fresno is in Delano near Highway 99. Sacramento has one also and that region is about to get another.
What about Fashion Fair?
Of course, Jollibee fans have heard news like this before.
In the summer of 2021, Jollibee filed a permit with the City of Fresno to build a restaurant on Shaw Avenue in front of Fashion Fair mall. Various plans and schematics were filed in summer of 2024 and it appeared the restaurant was moving forward.
But work never started.
Jollibee never returned messages from The Bee seeking comment about whether the restaurant would be built.
Monday, Fashion Fair general manager Joey Elliot confirmed that project is dead.
“Nothing is happening with Jollibee — that’s the meat of it,” he said of the mall space. “They did pull out of this market for us, however we do have some really, really great tenants looking at that space.”
Jollibee said Fresno as a whole is a “priority market,” citing its population growth and family-centered culture. Existing restaurants in California reflect strong demand from customers, averaging more than $4.5 million in sales a year.
