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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-20/tony-tan-2.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Tony Tan Caktiong in a dark pinstripe suit, speaking at a global institute event, wearing glasses and a tie microphone." />
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Tony Tan Caktiong, founder of Jollibee Foods Corporation, photographed during a global forum. Born in Davao on January 5, 1953, he built one of Asia's most successful fast-food empires from humble beginnings.
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<p>
Caktiong was born to Chinese immigrant parents from Fujian. His father worked in a restaurant in China and as a cook in a Buddhist monastery in Manila before setting up his restaurant in Davao City. Caktiong attended high school at Chiang Kai Shek College and graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in chemical engineering in 1975.
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<h4>
Career
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<p>
Caktiong initially planned his fledgling company to be an ice cream parlor when he founded Jollibee, and then added dishes such as hamburgers, french fries, and fried chicken. He founded the fast-food chain Jollibee in 1978 after starting it as an ice cream parlor in 1975. Expansion and acquisition of Greenwich Pizza Corporation enabled it to enter the pizza-pasta segment.
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Tony Tan Caktiong: Founder of Jollibee Foods


Tony Tan Caktiong, born January 5, 1953 in Davao, rose from humble beginnings to build Jollibee, the Philippines’ iconic fast‑food empire.

January 5, 1953: Tony Tan Caktiong, a renowned businessman and founder of Jollibee Foods, was born in Davao