Jollibee Foods Corporation (PSE: JFC), the company that owns the popular Jollibee restaurant chain, has shared some good news about one of its American brands called Smashburger. According to a press release filed with the Philippine Stock Exchange on April 14, 2026, the burger brand is doing much better than before.

What is Smashburger?

Smashburger is one of the many restaurant brands owned by Jollibee Foods Corporation. While Jollibee is famous for its fried chicken and sweet-style spaghetti in the Philippines, Smashburger sells hamburgers in the United States. Think of it like how your parents might own different toys in their toy collection – Jollibee Group owns different restaurant brands around the world.

From Struggling to Growing

The company explained that Smashburger’s sales performance has dramatically improved. To understand this better, imagine a student whose grades went from very low to very high in just a few months. That’s what happened to Smashburger’s sales.

At the beginning of their “Summer of Smash” campaign in the third quarter of 2025, their same-store sales (which means sales from stores that have been open for a while, not new ones) were dropping by “negative mid-teen levels” – that means they were losing around 15% or so in sales. But by March 2026, these same stores were now growing by “positive double-digit” numbers – meaning they were selling more than 10% extra compared to before.

What Made Things Better?

According to Jim Sullivan, the CEO (or top boss) of Smashburger, three main things helped turn things around:

1. Delicious new menu items: They brought back a popular burger called the “Colorado Smash” that fans really loved. They also added new items like All-Angus Big Dog hot dogs, customizable Loaded Sides (like fries with toppings you can choose), and special milkshakes with flavors like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Mint Oreo.
2. Good value for money: They introduced a $4.99 value platform, which means customers can get good food without spending too much money – something families really appreciate.
3. Consistent quality: They made sure every visit to Smashburger would be reliably good, so customers would want to come back again and again.

The improvements were noticed by others too. A food website called “Eat This, Not That!” ranked Smashburger as the #1 brand among seven chain restaurants for having the best smashburger cheeseburgers.

Growing the Business

Smashburger isn’t just selling more at existing stores – they’re also opening new ones. The company plans to open about 10-12 new stores in 2026. These include restaurants in airports, universities, and regular locations.

A new franchise store (a store owned by a business partner, not directly by the company) that opened in Huntersville, North Carolina in February 2026 has been doing very well since it opened, showing that customers in new areas also like Smashburger.

The stores in special locations like airports, sports arenas, and universities are performing particularly well because lots of people pass through these places every day.

Baseball Partnership

To make more people aware of the brand, Smashburger partnered with a baseball team called the Colorado Rockies for the 2026 Major League Baseball season. This means Smashburger became the “Official Smashburger” of the team. Fans can see Smashburger advertising at the stadium, and there are special promotions – like deals connected to when the Rockies hit home runs.

What This Means for Jollibee Foods Corporation

Richard Shin, the CEO of Jollibee Group International, explained that Smashburger’s improvement is important for the bigger company. He mentioned that the brand is following an “asset-light growth strategy,” which means they’re growing the business mainly through franchises (where other business people open and run the stores) rather than opening stores that the company owns and operates itself. This approach requires less money from Jollibee and allows faster expansion.

About Jollibee Foods Corporation

Jollibee Foods Corporation is one of the world’s fastest-growing restaurant companies. It manages 19 different restaurant brands with over 10,000 stores and cafés across 33 countries. Besides Jollibee and Smashburger, the company owns or has stakes in many other brands including Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Compose Coffee, Highlands Coffee, and others.

The company is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol JFC. According to the filing, JFC has 1,120,694,644 common shares outstanding.

This article is based on the company’s official press release and disclosures filed with the Philippine Stock Exchange’s Electronic Disclosure Generation Technology (PSE EDGE) system. For the complete and official version of the announcement, readers may visit the PSE EDGE website and search for the company’s filing directly.