SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – After nearly six years of permitting hurdles and 15 years without a location in the city, Jollibee has finally returned to San Francisco.
The Filipino fast-food chain opened its new restaurant at 934 Market Street on July 31, drawing a crowd of more than 200 people and a line that stretched around the block. Jollibee described the debut as a “truly joyful milestone” for the rapidly expanding brand.
The first customers began lining up around 7:15 p.m. the night before, almost 14 hours before the doors opened. Some brought chairs and spent the night on Market Street for a chance to win free fried chicken.
The first 100 customers received one six-piece bucket of Jollibee’s signature Chickenjoy fried chicken each month for a year, along with commemorative San Francisco T-shirts. Opening-day festivities included music, giveaways, appearances by the chain’s smiling bee mascot and a giant inflatable bucket of fried chicken looming over Market Street.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie also attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony and participated in a celebratory fried-chicken toast.
A Return 15 Years in the Making
The new restaurant occupies a former Payless ShoeSource storefront near Hallidie Plaza, just steps from the Powell Street BART and Muni stations.
Jollibee previously operated a San Francisco restaurant near Moscone Center, but that location closed in 2011. The company’s first American restaurant opened in Daly City in 1998, establishing a deep connection between the brand and the Bay Area’s large Filipino community.
The Market Street restaurant is now Jollibee’s 13th Bay Area location and its 111th in the United States, according to the company’s grand-opening announcement.
That history helps explain the intense response to the opening. For many Filipino Americans, Jollibee is more than another fried-chicken chain. Its food is closely associated with birthdays, family gatherings and childhood visits to the Philippines.
Why the Restaurant Took Nearly Six Years to Open
Jollibee filed its first permit for the 2,600-square-foot restaurant in November 2020 and initially hoped to open by 2023. The projected opening was subsequently pushed to 2024 and then 2025.
The project required approval for minor exterior changes because the building sits within the Kearny-Market-Mason-Sutter Conservation District. Jollibee also had to coordinate underground utility work with PG&E, obtain city approval for utility lines and work with BART over proposed crane operations.
One of the final obstacles involved rooftop refrigeration and heating equipment that initially failed a San Francisco noise-compliance test. Additional sound mitigation was required before the restaurant could receive its final approvals.
Public records also indicated that some delays resulted from contractor miscommunication and an incorrectly filed permit application, meaning the entire six-year wait cannot be attributed to City Hall. Still, the unusually complicated process became a prominent example in the debate over how difficult it can be to open a restaurant in San Francisco.
What Is on the Menu?
The main attraction is Chickenjoy, Jollibee’s bone-in fried chicken, available in original and spicy versions and served with savory gravy. The chicken is marinated, hand-breaded and fried to produce the combination of a crunchy coating and juicy interior that has developed a devoted following.
Chickenjoy was voted the country’s best fast-food fried chicken in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for the third consecutive year in 2026.
Other popular choices include original and spicy chicken sandwiches, sweet-style Jolly Spaghetti, chicken tenders, burgers and the chain’s Peach Mango Pie, which is filled with peaches and Philippine mangoes. The Pineapple Quencher is another signature item.
The new Jollibee San Francisco restaurant is located at 934 Market Street and is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. It offers dine-in service, takeout, digital ordering, delivery and catering.
