Everything you need to know about Michigan's first Jollibee

The latest fast-food frenzy in town is the new Jollibee restaurant on Hall Road in Sterling Heights.

Opening Friday, management is expecting long lines of fried chicken fans — it's called "chickenjoy" on the menu — for walk-up orders and the two-lane drive-thru. There are tents and heaters to help with the weather, and customers can also expect a visit from the Jollibee mascot, a smiling red bee with a chef's hat.

Based on family recipes, the brand was founded by now-billionaire Tony Tan Caktiong as a small ice cream shop in Manila and has grown to 1,500 locations worldwide, with most restaurants in Asia and more than 70 in the United States.

Often called the "McDonald's of the Philippines" — although it's much more comparable to Kentucky Fried Chicken — Jollibee has made a big push for expansion in recent years. This Sterling Heights location is the first in Michigan, and while no information about additional locations have been announced, it's assumed that the brand plans to grow around here.

"We were really looking in the Detroit area first and foremost and I think this will be a great testing ground to decide how else we can expand in the area," said Jollibee marketing director Nick Bedell. "I think this area in particular is interesting because it has a good amount of traffic, there's a lot of restaurants and a good amount of activity, so all those kinds of things make this a really ideal spot for us."

The first 100 people in line on Friday's opening day will get free "chickenjoy" each month for a year. The first 100 customers on Saturday and Sunday will get a free Jollibee beanie and Jollibee tote bag, respectively. Customers must spend $20 or more to be eligible for the giveaways.

Here's everything you need to know about the new Jollibee, the first in Michigan.

Where is the new Jolliebee?

It's at 44945 Woodridge in Sterling Heights, off of Hall Road, within eyeshot of the city's "Golden Ring" and other popular fast food chains like Portillo's, Chick-fil-A and Shake Shack. It'll be open daily for dine-in and drive-thru, and online ordering will be coming shortly.

What's on the menu?

The menu at the Sterling Heights Jollibee is similar to the others in the United States. Customers can choose chickenjoy meals with one or two sides and two or three pieces, with or without a soft drink for $8.49-$14.99. Get a six-piece bucket for $15.99, or $19.99 with two sides. Feed a small group for $34.99 that includes a six-piece bucket, family pack of spaghetti and three pies.

Chicken sandwiches are $5.49 and sides run $2.69-$3.99. The spaghetti is offered as a combo with a piece of chicken and a drink for $9.99 or as a family pack for $16.99. There's also burger steaks, peach mango pies and soft drinks.

There's precious little here for vegans and those who are on gluten-free diets. Try the steamed rice, $2.69 per side order.

Why are people so excited?

Similar to when Chick-Fil-A, Shake Shack and Chicken Guy opened their first stores in the area, people like to line up to be the first to try something. The closest Jollibee's to Metro Detroit are in the greater Chicago and Toronto areas, which is a bit far for a bucket of crispy chicken.

There's also excitement because of branding and the food. Jollibee focuses on a "joyful" and cheerful energy, and it's unique in the sense that, while the flavors are geared toward the average American palate, it offers things that we typically don't see at fast food restaurants in the United States like adobo rice, spaghetti with a sweet sauce and mango-peach pies.

"Tomorrow is going to be a little bit of a party, a little bit of chaos ... it's going to be a lot of fun. We do expect a line all day long," said Bedell at a media preview Thursday, adding that early birds may get some swag like a tote bag or T-shirt.

How does it taste?

Both the pieces of fried chicken and the fried chicken sandwiches have light breading, crispy skin and juicy white and dark meat. The chicken pieces come with a pourable brown gravy, a buttery and savory favorite that has sparked many copycat recipes online. You'll find the same gravy on the mashed potatoes, which are smooth and fluffy.

The traditional chicken sandwich is a thick and tender breast fillet with a creamy, umami-rich mayonnaise on a brioche bun, and that's it. The spicy version isn't knock-your-socks off hot, and uses sriracha mayo and bright green, sliced jalapeno peppers. These are great-tasting sandwiches for the price ($5.49) and can likely hold their own against any other fast-food fried chicken sandwich.

Of the sides we tried, the macaroni and cheese is the most interesting. The baked dish has a crust on top and tastes like noodles with cheddar cheese, not mystery fast-food style "cheese sauce." The biscuits are flaky and a bit crispy, not super-soft or greasy.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to sample the spaghetti at Thursday's media preview, but we understand it is a sweeter sauce than your average marinara. Other sweet treats on the menu are the signature "pineapple quencher," a non-carbonated pineapple-flavored soft drink, and the mango peach pie with a hot, chunky and fruity filling encased in a flaky crust, similar to a McDonald's apple pie.

Overall, it's still fast food, of course, but it does stand up to its tagline of "next-level crispy, next-level juicy" and there is something joyful about the comforting flavors and friendly atmosphere.

Melody Baetens is The Detroit News restaurant critic

mbaetens@detroitnews.com

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