MANILA— Thousands of customers lined up during the opening of Jollibee's first store in Spain, with some showing up as early as 10 p.m. the previous day, the country's largest restaurant operator said Friday.

The store, located "at the heart of Madrid" in Calle Arenal, opened on Sept. 23, Jollibee Foods Corp said in a statement.

"This is one of Jollibee's biggest openings in Europe, with thousands of customers greeting the opening and the queue starting at 10 p.m. the previous day," Jollibee said.

"The heartwarming reception to our opening in Spain inspires us in our journey to bring our much-loved Chickenjoy to more countries in Europe, and is in line with our vision to become among the top five restaurant companies in the world," Jollibee Group CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong said.

Customers bought Chickenjoy as well as other food items curated with the European taste in mind, including what Jollibee called "emerging Europe bestsellers" such as Spicy Chicken Burger, Sriracha Chicken Loaded Fries and Tropical Chicken Burger, the company said.

Its 200-capacity store features a full-sized palm tree "not seen in any other Jollibee restaurant in the region," the company said.

• First Jollibee in Spain to open in September
• 'Bienvenidos': Jollibee to open first store in Madrid, Spain

Spain's first branch is part of the group's goal to open 50 stores in Europe in the next 5 years.

The entire Jollibee Group operates in 33 countries with a total store network of over 5,800 globally.

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