Dreaming Big: Beth Dela Cruz

From its humble origins as a small family-run, ice-cream shop in Manila in 1975, Jollibee, the leading Philippine fast-moving consumer goods group, has since grown into a global fast food behemoth, with 19 popular brands and over 9,500 stores across 32 countries.

Leading the charge in Jollibee Group’s rapid North American expansion is Beth Dela Cruz, the region’s President, who has been overseeing the brand’s phenomenal regional growth since 2002. North America now boasts more than 100 Jollibee, Red Ribbon and Chiang fast food-branded stores.

With its signature customer-centric approach and delicious fusion of western and Filipino flavors, Jollibee presents a unique fast food offering in the North American market. Its delectable menu options, which include its signature Chickenjoy Bucket and Jolly Spaghetti and a wide range of pies and drinks, have become fast favorites in the United States and Canada.

"What really differentiates us in the North American market is the array and depth of our menu variety as well as the uniqueness of our flavors," Cruz tells The CEO Magazine.

"For example, we know people love apple pie, but we’ve put our own twist on it by adding peach and mango from the Philippines – which, of course, is renowned for growing the best-tasting mangoes in the world."

Growth and expansion

Further expansion plans are currently in place to establish Jollibee in even more locations in North America, with the company recently implementing a franchising program across the region.

"We’re looking to grow to about 500 locations in the next five-to-seven years, and franchising is going to be a key strategy to that. We’ve been working on it for the past two years, and I’m happy to say that our first franchise store will open in the first quarter of 2025 in Queens, New York," she says.

"We’ve already signed up some groups in other areas as well, such as California, the Pacific Northwest and Atlanta."

Consequently, she says, the team have been working hard at innovating their operations to facilitate the company’s projected growth.

"We’ve restructured our supply chain team and also integrated some functions that help in ensuring supply sustainability," she explains.

"We’ve also integrated a quality assurance team within our supply chain group to ensure that quality standards are followed accordingly. We’re also integrating systems, processes and new tools so it remains agile because once we have a slew of franchisees, we must be very efficient in ensuring consistent product supply."

In addition, Jollibee is introducing a loyalty program alongside exciting new menu items.

"We’re working on adding new menu items like an Angus beef burger, chicken tenders and a premium line of made-to-order beverages, which we’re excited about because we know that, trend-wise, consumers are looking for special beverages that they can pair well with their food," she says.

The hype around Jollibee isn’t just talk, either – its products speak for themselves. In 2024, its chicken was named by USA Today as the best fast food fried chicken in the United States, which Cruz says she and the team are extremely proud of.

"We make sure that the product is something that represents our brand really well, and we continue to develop different products with unique twists that are entirely exclusive and unique to Jollibee," she enthuses.

Filipino flavor fusion

With a background in business economics, Cruz started her career in finance before realizing her passion was for working with people rather than exclusively with numbers.

"To work in a company that actually is able to spread joy because of its products in food, that’s really compelling for me to keep on with the company. And I’ve been at it for a little over 35 years already," she says.

Cruz believes that, in addition to its outstanding food offerings, the secret sauce in Jollibee’s success in North America springs from its exceptional Filipino customer service.

"Filipino hospitality shows in the special way we serve our customers. Yes, it’s fast food, but it doesn’t really feel like fast food at Jollibee because of the outstanding hospitality we offer our customers, and this is instilled within us as Filipinos. That’s a real point of difference between us and other fast food brands," she says. 

Her remarkable leadership has seen the Jollibee Group achieve extraordinary success, which Cruz says is inspired by the mantra of the business’ Founder, Tony Tan Caktiong, to ‘dream big’.

"When Jollibee started out as an ice-cream chain in the Philippines, the Founder dreamed that it would someday become one of the best in the Philippines, and when he achieved that, he said, ‘We’re going to be the best in Asia’, and he achieved that, too. Now, we dream of being one of the top five restaurant companies in the world," she says.

"I’m inspired by that kind of vision because we need to dream that we really can make a difference in the world – not just in running a company but also in the lives of the people that we lead. That’s the philosophy I lead by. There’s got to be the belief and the vision that you can get things done."