Asian Food Chains Moving Stateside

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The Motley Fool

Investing, Business

4.3 • 3.1K Ratings

🗓️ 30 September 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

American palates are shifting, and investors are starting to take notice. In today’s episode of Motley Fool Money, host Emily Flippen is joined by analysts Sanmeet Deo and Jason Hall to unpack four of the newest Asian food chains looking to expand across the United States The team dives into: - Whether or not Jollibee’s rise is sustainable - The re-emergence of Luckin Coffee and changing consumer tastes - If the experiential dining of Kura Sushi and Haidilao Hot Pot are replicable - Which chain offers investors the best opportunity today Companies discussed: JBFCF, LKNCY, KRUS, HDALF Host: Emily Flippen, Jason Hall, Sanmeet Deo Producer: Anand Chokkavelu Engineer: Dan Boyd Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. We’re committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	We're eating up the tastiest trend in restaurants, Asian food chains expanding across the
0:10.0	United States and what this means for investors. Today, on Mully Full Money.
0:18.6	I'm Emily Flippin, and today I'm joined by analyst Jason Hall and Samit Deo to discuss
0:25.2	the rise of Asian food chains in the United States, and if they're expanding reach and changing
0:29.9	palettes offer up an opportunity for investors to take a bite out of something new.
0:34.0	We'll be discussing luck and coffee, of course, but also some businesses that you may be
0:37.7	less familiar with. That includes Kura Sushi and Heidi Lau Hot Pot. We'll be discussing
0:42.1	their unit economics, the franchise versus company-owned models, brand power, and if these
0:47.1	concepts actually do transition across cultures. But we have to start with one of my favorites
0:52.3	on the list today, and that's Jollaby.
0:54.9	For anybody who's unaware, Jollaby is this Philippine-based fast food chain, perhaps best known for
1:00.1	its fried chicken and what they call their Jolly Spaghetti, which is, yes, spaghetti topped with this
1:05.4	unique banana ketchup-style sauce. It's really hard to oversell what a big name Jollapy is in the Philippines
1:11.9	and across Southeast Asia. They have over 1,300 locations in the Philippines alone,
1:16.2	nearly 500 more internationally, including over 100 in North America. Although across all the brands
1:21.8	this company owns, they have more than 10,000 stores nationwide. It's a really thinly traded
1:27.1	stock. It's on the pink sheets here in the
1:28.7	United States with the ticker symbol, JBFCF. But when you include its Philippine listed shares,
1:34.6	it has an enterprise value of nearly $6 billion. Saddam, is there a real growth thesis here for Jolabe?
1:41.8	Or is it really just another example of a franchise model that's likely to flame out? I'm really just, I'm really upset that I haven't heard about this already. You know, this is the first time I'm hearing about Jolabee and there's, you know, being in New York, there's quite a few in Queens and Manhattan and all around New York City. So I'm coming around to this just now too, but, you know, as I was looking into it, you know, it's a brand that is popular as
2:05.0	McDonald's... and Manhattan and all around New York City. So I'm coming around to this just now, too.
2:01.5	But, you know, as I was looking into it, you know, it's a brand that is popular as McDonald's and Coca-Cola in its home country.
	...

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