MANILA - Jollibee Foods Corp said Monday it opened its first cloud kitchen in Tampines, Singapore for its Jollibee brand as delivery demand surges due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cloud kitchens are established solely as food production and delivery hubs without dine-in facilities in lower rent urban areas, JFC said in a statement.

The contribution of Jollibee Singapore's delivery has "more than quadrupled" to 45 percent from 10 percent compared to last year, one of Asia's largest restaurant operators said.

“As cloud kitchens roll out, we will be able to reach more consumers and fulfill more orders. The Jollibee Group is able to expand more quickly and cost-efficiently through this innovative store model, while maintaining the same safety and quality standards of our food,” JFC CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong.

Singapore's cloud kitchen is the group's third, it said, with more locations opening soon. The group has a cloud kitchen in the UAE and in the US.

The cloud kitchen in Tampines is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., JFC said.

The JFC group has 5,971 outlets as of end 2019.

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