STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Not to be confused with McDonald’s, Jollibee is something else entirely. It’s a family ritual.
That distinction matters as the Filipino fast-food giant prepares to enter Staten Island for the first time with a three-unit franchise development agreement. Staten Island has already done the work through a handful of established businesses over the years. According to a company announcement, Jollibee has signed a three‑unit franchise development agreement with Yong Xu and Aron Teng, signaling the company’s view of the borough as an underserved market with growth potential.
The deal continues Jollibee’s expansion across the New York City metro area through experienced multi‑unit operators. Xu and Teng currently run café and restaurant concepts in New York and New Jersey, including a Paris Baguette franchise, according to the release. They are not affiliated with Staten Island’s two Paris Baguette locations.
Why Staten Island matters
Filipino food on Staten Island is no longer a novelty. Through places like Phil‑Am Kusina’s grocery store in Rosebank and its former restaurant of the same name, readers learned that it functions as comfort food, memory food and community food, rooted in ritual as opposed to trend. That groundwork matters now…