Jollibee Accelerates Franchise Growth in the U.S.: The First Step of the 24-Store Agreement in Roseville

Philippines-based fast food chain Jollibee is placing greater emphasis on the franchise model to accelerate its growth in the U.S. The new restaurant opened in Roseville, California, is one of the most visible steps in this strategy.

According to a report by Nation’s Restaurant News dated August 17, 2026, the Roseville location is the first restaurant in a 24-store development agreement led by franchise partners Sanjive Datta and Ajay Chopra and operating partner Paul Avila. The agreement covers the Northern California, Nevada, and Texas markets.

Jollibee's growth in the U.S. has long been primarily through company-operated restaurants. In this new phase, the company aims to scale up with franchise operators who can open larger and multiple locations.

Why is Roseville important?

Roseville is part of the Sacramento metropolitan area and is one of the new expansion points in California, where Jollibee has long been strong.

Jollibee's official store page shows the Roseville restaurant at 1913 Douglas Boulevard, open for dine-in, takeaway, and online delivery options.

Jollibee Group also announced in its San Francisco opening announcement on August 3 that Roseville would open on August 7, describing California as one of the key markets in the company's North American growth. The same announcement states that Jollibee has reached over 100 stores across the U.S. and Canada.

The key point to note here is that Roseville is not just a new restaurant; it is one of the locations where the company is testing its scaling model through franchising.

What makes the 24-location agreement different?

Single-store franchise growth and multi-unit franchise strategy are not the same operational model.

According to NRN, the group opening Roseville has signed a development agreement for 24 restaurants, with subsequent locations planned to open in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Sacramento area. The group aims to open two to three new restaurants per year starting in 2028.

This approach may provide faster scaling advantages for franchisors. When the same operator opens restaurants repeatedly in several markets, the processes of site selection, manager training, education, purchasing, and opening can be standardized.

However, the risks also increase.

If the operational standard of a single franchise partner deteriorates, the issue may arise not in one restaurant but in many locations of the same group. Therefore, multi-unit franchising means not only finding investors with strong capital but also selecting partners with proven operational capability.

High store sales support the franchise story

According to figures from NRN based on Technomic data, the average Jollibee restaurant in the U.S. generated over $5 million in sales in 2025, and the chain reached nearly $400 million in system sales across approximately 80 restaurants.

Jollibee Group, in its own August 2026 announcement, states that the average unit volume in North America is $4.9 million. This figure should not be interpreted as a company statement or independent audited franchise revenue.

High AUV naturally creates a strong sales argument for franchise candidates. However, average store sales alone do not demonstrate the return on investment.

More critical indicators from the perspective of franchise investors include construction and equipment investment, labor costs, rent, food cost, royalty and advertising contributions, pre-opening expenses, and restaurant-level EBITDA.

Therefore, a "restaurant generating $5 million in sales" does not equate to a "high-yield franchise investment."

The prerequisite for franchise growth is standardization

In a chain like Jollibee that spreads across different markets, the fundamental test of the franchise model is not the sameness of the product but the repeatability of the system.

Once a restaurant is opened, the franchise partner must maintain the same standard in the following areas:

product preparation, food safety, service time, shift planning, supply, team training, brand experience, and financial control.

The company's franchise page states that support is provided to investors from the restaurant opening to the operational phase. However, the actual impact on operational performance has not been measured with publicly available data on a franchisee basis.

This distinction is particularly important during periods of rapid growth.

While increasing the number of new restaurants may become easier, if field audits and franchise support capacity do not grow at the same pace, the brand standard may weaken.

California as a natural starting market

Jollibee's relationship with California is not new. The company's first U.S. restaurant opened in Daly City in 1998. California remains one of the most concentrated American markets for the brand; Jollibee's current location page lists a total of 36 locations open or soon to open in the state.

Therefore, scaling franchise growth in a region where there is existing customer awareness may be a lower-risk approach than starting in a market where the brand is completely unknown.

The Roseville example is significant in this regard: the franchise investor can leverage the existing recognition of a chain that has long been in California rather than creating brand demand from scratch.

What changes when transitioning from company store to franchise network?

In a company-owned model, the investment costs, staff, and operational risks of the restaurant are directly borne by the company.

In the franchise model, however, a significant portion of the capital required to open a new store is covered by the independent operator. This can enable the brand to expand geographically faster with less direct capital.

In return, the company's role changes.

Instead of operating the restaurant daily, selecting franchisees, providing training, managing the supply system, monitoring standards, and supporting the performance of local operators become more critical.

Thus, franchising is not simply "opening a store with someone else's money." If not well designed, growth can accelerate while quality control becomes more challenging.

Lessons for restaurant groups in Turkey

Jollibee's scale is different from most restaurant brands in Turkey. Nevertheless, the model contains two important lessons for local chains.

First, franchising should not be used solely as a method to increase the number of stores in the early stages.

If the brand's product standard, training system, supply network, sales data, and field support are not yet mature enough, franchise growth can spread existing problems over a wider area.

Second, selecting multi-unit franchisees is as much a human resource issue as it is a capital issue.

An investor may finance five stores; however, if they cannot train five restaurant managers, the growth plan is not sustainable.

Stafflink’s view

The main news at Jollibee's Roseville opening is not a new restaurant but the stronger transfer of growth responsibility from the company headquarters to franchise partners.

In our view, the most common mistake in franchise systems is measuring success by the number of branches opened.

However, there are three more important long-term indicators: the first-year performance of new restaurants, the franchisee's ability to open the second and third stores to the same standard, and the adequacy of the employee-manager pool during growth.

Jollibee's high store sales may attract new franchisees. However, the real success of the 24-store agreements in the U.S. will be understood not by how many numbers are opened in the investment contracts but by whether the opened restaurants can maintain the same product and operational standard.