Jollibee is planning a major Northern California expansion through a new franchise agreement that would add 15 locations over the next eight years, a move that would sharply increase the Filipino fast-food chain’s Bay Area presence and deepen its push across the U.S. market. The deal centers on veteran franchise operator George Almeida, who has signed on with Jollibee Group North America to develop stores across key parts of the region.
Almeida is not a newcomer to restaurant franchising. He is a longtime Northern California operator who has run Fuddruckers locations and Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurants and currently operates the Concord Fuddruckers location that remains the last one in Northern California. Almeida said he moved on the Jollibee opportunity after seeing the brand’s first push to franchise in Northern California, and he is now positioning the deal as a long-term bet on both the company’s popularity and the region’s growth potential.
The territory covered by the agreement includes San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties, along with one targeted site in Sonoma County. The first location is expected to open at the Graton Resort and Casino food court in Rohnert Park, with Fremont and San Mateo identified as likely follow-up markets. Almeida has said the strategy is focused on securing 2,500- to 3,000-square-foot sites, preferably in residential trade areas and ideally with drive-thru capability.
The project also brings in another Bay Area real estate name. Almeida is partnering with Bradley Blake of Danville-based Blake Griggs Properties, adding a local development and site-selection component to the expansion effort. That gives the rollout a clearer commercial real estate angle as the company looks for viable suburban and high-traffic retail sites around the Bay Area.
The deal matters because Jollibee is already in growth mode across North America. The company has more than 1,700 stores globally and more than 100 locations in North America, and it has set a goal of reaching 500 stores in the region by 2030. Jollibee says its franchising push is a central part of that strategy, making Almeida’s 15-store agreement one of the more substantial regional expansion deals tied to the brand’s current U.S. growth plan.
That broader expansion is being led in part by Peter Wright, Jollibee Group North America’s vice president of franchising. Wright joined the company in late 2025 to help lead the U.S. growth effort and has been tied directly to the brand’s 500-unit North America target. In comments tied to Almeida’s deal, Wright said Almeida’s local expertise, multi-unit operating experience, and alignment with Jollibee’s service culture made him a strong fit to lead the next stage of the company’s Northern California expansion.
The Bay Area is a natural place for that push. Jollibee has long had a devoted following in Northern California, especially in communities with strong Filipino populations, and California already has the highest concentration of the chain’s U.S. stores. The expansion also comes as the company works through a delayed return to San Francisco proper, where its planned Market Street location has faced repeated permitting and regulatory setbacks.
For Almeida, the move is also a personal reset after a difficult period for restaurant operators. He closed several Fuddruckers locations during the pandemic and sold his Dave’s Hot Chicken stores in 2024, but has framed the Jollibee deal as a new growth chapter rather than a winding-down phase. At 69, he has said retirement is not part of the plan.
That helps explain why the expansion is drawing attention beyond fast food alone. The key names behind it, Almeida, Wright, and Blake, tie together franchising, brand growth, and local site development at a moment when Bay Area retail and restaurant operators are still trying to figure out where expansion makes the most sense. If the rollout proceeds as planned, Jollibee’s next chapter in Northern California will be driven not just by pent-up fan demand, but by a coordinated push from a veteran local operator, a new U.S. franchising chief, and a regional development partner.
