Tony
Tan Caktiong Tony, a fresh graduate from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree of BS Chemical Engineering and a newly-wed, brought franchise of the Magnolia Ice Cream House in 1975. Sensitive to his customers’ needs, he saw that people who eat in his ice cream parlors want something more than just ice cream. Soon, sandwiches, spaghetti, fries, hamburger, and fried chicken were added up to the menu. In 1978, with already 6 ice cream parlors around Metro Manila, Tan Caktiong converted his ice cream parlors into fast-food restaurants which he and his family decided to call Jollibee. They looked for a symbol that would best represent them and they chose the hard working bee. But it is not enough to be just hard working. For Tan, one should also be happy even when busy because as he puts it, it’s not worth being busy when you’re not happy. And so they added the word jolly and changed the y to i. When international food chain giant McDonald arrived in the Philippines in 1981, Tan knew that they could face fierce competition but he believed in their products and continued to develop and innovate more food items to satisfy his loyal customers. With the continuous success of Jollibee, Tan Caktiong acquired other food businesses such as the pizza-pasta joint Greenwich in 1994, oriental fast-food chain Chowking in 2000, bakeshop Red Ribbon in 2005, specialty bakeshop Delifrance in 2006, and Manong Pepe’s in 2007. Now, Jollibee Foods Corporation also has a fastfood chain in China. Filipinos living in other parts of the world would no longer miss Jollibee, Chowking, and Red Ribbon when branches were opened in the US and the Middle East. Tan Caktiong believes that the reason why they dominate the market today is because they know how to share. And they do sharing best through the Jollibee Foundation that he started in 2005. Jollibee Foundation addresses the problems and provide assistance in the following areas: education, housing and community development, leadership development, environmental conservation, and disaster response. Tan Caktiong outstanding efforts in the field of entrepreneurship did not go unnoticed. His management and leadership styles have been recognized by top award-giving bodies on business including the prestigious World Entrepreneur Award given to him in 2004 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Tan Caktiong was the first Filipino entrepreneur to receive such award. Tan Caktiong credits his parents for cultivating his entrepreneurial spirit and instilling in him the values of respect and humility, which are now ingrained in the corporate culture of Jollibee. Sources:  |
Tony Tan Caktiong was born on October 7, 1960 to a working-class
immigrant Chinese family from Fujian province in China. Like many
migrants, Tony’s father worked hard to support his large family.
Working as a cook at the local Buddhist temple in Manila’s
Chinatown. Tony’s father saved whatever he could and soon
set up several small restaurants. Tony and his six siblings also
helped sell beans in the temple during the festivities and with
the family’s restaurant business. The Tan family also lived
in Davao for a while when his father got an opportunity to open
a restaurant there.