Philippine fast-food chain Jollibee plans to open 25 UAE stores by 2020.

Describing the UAE as “a key market” in its regional development plans, Jollibee has already opened a 12th store in Al Ain Mall and is preparing two other mall locations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It has also updated its menu offerings to satisfy local palates, while still ensuring the menu appeals to the large population of Filipino OFWs in the area.

Jollibee UAE CEO Hisham Al Gurg said, “The UAE is a key expansion market for the brand, ever since we launched our first outlet in Dubai Mall in 2015… the awareness of the brand in the UAE is increasing rapidly. The launch of the new restaurants is driven by strong demand from customers, thereby bringing the brand closer, not only to the larger Filipino community present in the country, but also to several other nationalities.”

The company is currently developing a voice recognition service called Bee Talks to help customers place orders verbally via a Facebook app.

Jollibee has operated as Golden Bee Restaurants in the UAE since 2015.

Source: Inside Retail Asia.