Fans Flock To New Skokie Restaurant Jollibee For Food, Community
(CBS) -- You've heard of Chicken and Biscuits, or even Chicken and Waffles. But what about Chicken and Spaghetti?
That's the combination Chicago's Filipino community calls a taste of home.
New Filipino restaurant Jollibee, located in Skokie, has become a fast food sensation. It's a Philippines-based restaurant chain known well for its fried chicken, spaghetti, burgers and Filipino dishes. CBS2's Jim Williams got a taste of what makes this restaurant so popular.
Patrons who want that taste wait sometimes more than an hour for the fare.
One patron said she waited an hour and 15 minutes. Is it worth it? "Yeah, it's definitely worth it," one customer says.
"The fried chicken. It's unbelievable," said Ang Tiu another customer.
This is the first Jollibee in the Midwest, but fans of the fast food chain travel far. A few locals say they've travelled as far as Las Vegas or Honolulu for the tasty food. And today, one man travelled as far away as Minnesota.
"Seven hours. Just for this restaurant," Philip Knepper said.
Another customer says people flock to the restaurant, because of the authenticity of the meal. To her, it tastes just like home. "There's like an authentic taste. And this chicken that's only in the Philippines that we're accustomed to," said Gladys Deguia.
But people also travel hours for Jollibee, because of the sense of community; more specifically, the gathering of the Chicago area's Filipino-American community.
"You see all the Filipinos come together," said one patron. "Some good family time. Bonding. Bonding."
It's another opportunity for cherished food and community in Skokie.
