NEW YORK – The international QSR chain Jollibee, based in the Philippines, has announced it will open a New York City location in Manhattan on Oct. 27. The location will be at 609 8^th Ave., near Times Square and Port Authority. The Manhattan store is a milestone for Jollibee. It will be the 2nd store in New York State, the 37th store in the US and the 41st store in North America.

“We are excited to finally open our doors in the heart of bustling Manhattan, which is not just a center of business and finance, but a major cultural and entertainment hub that receives millions of visitors from around the world each year,” said Jose Miñana, Jollibee Foods Corp.’s (JFC) group president for North America. “The diversity of the food culture and the fast pace of living here make it perfect for our new Jollibee store location.”

Similar openings across the globe have drawn large crowds and Jollibee expects the same for the NYC location. Two recent openings in Toronto saw customers standing in line for hours after traveling for hours from across Canada.

“We hope that the people of Manhattan will come and experience for themselves why people line up for a taste of Jollibee,” said Maribeth dela Cruz, vice president and general manager for JFC North America.

As part of the opening, the first 40 customers in line at the new Manhattan store will receive free chicken for a year. Exclusive Jollibee Funko Pop! figures and other Jollibee collectibles will be up for grabs to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary.

JFC operates in 20 countries as Asia’s largest restaurant company. With over 4,200 stores globally, nearly a third of which are Jollibee brand stores, it has an 85 percent stake in Smashburger, and recently entered into an agreement with award-winning Chef Rick Bayless to build a Mexican fast-casual restaurant business in the US.