Mattecube is on holiday in Scotland just now I think and he's probably the closest. Me I'm not 'dying' for a Jollibee last time I was in the city was the 29th of February.
We were there for opening day. Arrived in Liverpool at about 11am and queues were heading around the corner. The queue comber was going around everyone giving them a menu and advising a limit of £50/ customer (yeah right, like I'm going to spend anything close to that). We had a few other things planned (tour of Anfield Stadium ) so the line was hopefully going to dwindle by the time we returned. Well, at 5pm, it was still very busy. No choice but to join the back of the line and wait. Unlike London, there were very few Filipino employees. I only saw 1 easily identifiable Filipino. The rest were the usual mix of white British, East Europeans and a lot of British-Chinese (not surprising given the big Chinese community in Liverpool). Whilst waiting, a lot of bystanders were clearly very curious about this new restaurant. From how Jollibee has been marketed (and the prices), I fear that they will be expecting something along the lines of a Wagamama experience instead of the McDo clone with chicken and rice. It will be a hard push to keep those Jolli-virgins as repeat customers. Upon finally entering the restaurant, a white guy at the door asked how many diners, eat in/take away etc and then asked if my wife was my daughter! I'm 40, and she 32. I'm not in the least offended by this and made a joke about Asian sex tourism. However, I can imagine a lot of people with Filipino wives not appreciating this. In fairness, I think the guy was mortified the moment he uttered the words. A few teething problems whilst ordering (Chocolate coconut sundae kept registering as Mango each time the operator tried to enter it) and it took about 15 minutes for the order to finally arrive at our table. The spaghetti and hotdog both sub-par. Like they had been cooked 2 hours ago and just reheated in the microwave. The chicken burger quite pleasant, but £9 for a meal is very expensive compared to McDo. No option for spicy chicken in the Chickenjoy Bucket. The bucket price of £9.99 for 6 pieces is competitive with KFC and Jollibee slightly more chicken as well (809g vs 739g). I think KFC still wins on the most important aspect (taste). In all, not great but not a disaster. We will go back when things should hopefully be smoother. With the prices however, I fail to see how they can sustain enough of the non-Pinoy market at those levels.
Wise move, we ventured up to Liverpool yesterday but there was no way we were waiting in the queue that was there, we took a stroll around the centre came back the queue was almost as big, i would hazard a guess at getting up towards 100 or so definately more than 80 but we didnt stay around long enough to count.. , we were on our way up to Lytham so it wasnt a day wasted..
When we visited the one in London. First occasion in mid morning was okay. On the 2nd occasion in the evening, we had to queue to get in and never did get a seat!
My wife asked me if we are ever going to Liverpool's Jolly Bee'. It is a free country. She can ask. Nothing against her and her Barkada, jumping on the train, after all it is only 1 hour ride, but I am not going to have my taste buds wilfully offended. If I did go, I would most definitively enjoy a fish and chips from a couple of doors down the road. And I would still have a couple of hours to roam around all alone and fancy free, while they wait in the queue
Earls Court has always been the hub of the British filipino community, it used to have a lot of balikbayan-box and remittance centres based there, jollibee was always going to do well there, I had friends from Canada visit and they asked to eat there to tick it off their jollibee bucket-list
Years ago, on one of my very first Ideal Home Exhibitions at Earl's Court, I happened upon a Filipino restaurant, more or less across the entrance to the tube station... Quick look at the menu outside, I decided on some Pancit Canton, entered, sat down, ordered.. Observed the lack of cleanliness around, the dirty floor in need of a good mop, with cascading cobwebs at every corner.... After a long wait I received some stuff that looked awful, tasted it, not liked the soft mush, paid for it and went across the road to Nando's. for a proper meal. 20 years later, I still happily go to Nando's from time to time, and enjoy an extra hot peri-peri chicken, but I never ever set foot in a Filipino restaurant in the UK again.
I ate in that resto....... ONCE there was also another eat all you can that was reached through stairs at the back of the manila market, always packed with pinays. I have been to a lot of countries in Asia, Thai and Indian have to be the best for food.
Hot from the press.. A couple of ladies, friends of my wife, did go and queue up, yesterday. Ironically they were terribly disappointed with the food being totally unlike in texture, taste and look to what they expected. I am not mentioning the moaning about the prices because it is it was quite colourful...
my wife,--her sister and myself dined out today--in my car--at the newish burger king drive through lunchtime..a whopper meal each, --i had cappuccino with mine. macdonalds--better get your act together.
Always thought burger king whopper was better than anything macdonalds do but definitely more expensive option unless have vouchers. Worth getting the phone app for the vouchers
Nothing will stop them, my daughter loved McDo and Burger King back 27 to 28 years ago when we would go to burger joints, in 1995 as a child aged 9 she decided that eating meat and Burgers was not acceptable and we never went back. Me I have occasionally gone to a burger joint, a few times from 2000 to 2009 if I was hungry travelling from England to Scotland I would stop at Burton-in-Kendal and get a Burger King burger, but apart from that I would not go to one, not ever. Let them all fail, everywhere, McDo, Burger King, Jollibee it will do everyone a favour, I'm serious.
I do agree to a point.... Mc'D coffee, to me, is the best of a bad lot on the high street. If is not watered down as they do normally.
Tim Hortons, Canada's numero uno coffee shop is opening branches in the UK, ones opening in Tyne & Wear, nice coffee from timmies if you ever get the chance to try it.
i like mcd's cappuccino--suits my taste. not in the least bit interested in over priced stuff in expensive trendy places to be seen in.
Agree with you, apart from the cappuccino, as I hate warmed or boiled milk. A few drops of cold cow juice to take care of the acidity in coffee, are ok.
