Top Fast Food Restaurants in the Philippines

Several fast food joints have caught on and gone popular in the Philippines. For instance, almost every city in the archipelago has a McDonald's or a Jollibee store branch. You can literally find these dining places in every street corner. Baguio City, the city I call home and where I've been residing for the last ten or so years have at least five Jollibee branches. And Baguio is one small city.

That's just for Jollibee alone. If you include the number of branches that the other fast food joints have, we could be talking about dozens of of branches in a fairly small city. Needless to say, the Philippines is a fast-food crazy country. So if you're planning to set up a business here someday, getting a fast food joint franchise might be a very good idea.

So anyway, here is a list of the top fast food restaurants in the Philippines. These are the restaurants that you can find in almost every mall and every street corner.

1. McDonald's - This international food chain was brought to the Philippines way back in 1981 through Golden Arches by entrepreneur George t. Young. The chain quickly grew into one of the most popular food chains in the country. New products were also introduced to cater to the Filipino's unique sense of taste. McDonald's is also being credited for pioneering the "open 24/7" and 24/7 delivery service that is now a common practice among food stores in the country.
2. Jollibee - Unlike McDonald's, Jollibee had its roots in the Philippines. It started out in 1975 as a simple ice-cream parlor that also serves hot meals as well as sandwiches. When it experimented with hamburgers, it started to grow and soon turn into what it is today. Now, the chain has expanded internationally with branches in the United States.
3. Mang Inasal - Started in 2003 by Edgar Sia II, Mang Inasal is one of the fastest-growing food chains in the history of the Philippines. Within just ten years, it was able to open over 100 stores. It was also acquired by Jollibee Foods Corporation in 2010.
4. Greenwhich - From its humble beginnings as a small pizza store in 1971 at the Greenhills Shopping Center in Manila, Greenwich went on to become the country's largest pasta and pizza chain. The chain was also acquired by Jollibee Foods Corporation.
5. Chowking - If you want quick and affordable Chinese dishes, Chowking is the restaurant to go to. Started in 1985, the chain grew and expanded until it was purchased by Jollibee Foods Corporation in 2000. Under Jollibee, Chowking expanded even more. The store's more popular offerings include rice toppings, dumplings, noodles and their famous halo-halo.
6. Max's Restaurant - Known as the "house that fried chicken built", Max's first customers were American GIs after World War II. It was started by Maximo Gimenez. Now, the restaurant is a common fixture in major cities within the Philippines. It has also expanded with a branch in California, United States.
7. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) - Another foreign import, KFC is the restaurant to go if you are craving for fried chicken. They also offer other products that include complete meals, hamburgers and so much more.

So far, the ones mentioned above are the top fast food restaurants in the Philippines. There are other dining places that are starting to climb up the ladder by expanding and getting more branches opened. It won't be a surprise at all if one day they will catch up and topple some of the giants. Nothing is certain in the food industry, especially in the Philippines where competition is really fierce. So far, McDonald's and Jollibee are on top of the competition right now. But with the others aggressively building their businesses, there's a chance that the Donald or the Bee can be toppled off the top spot.