Oak Brook, Illinois (The Adobo Chronicles) – A good number of Americans are quite familiar with adobo, lumpia and pancit, but most have not heard of Jollibee.  Is it a bird? Is it an insect? Is it a clown?

The answer is: none of the above. It is the fast food chain restaurant that continues to be the greatest threat to McDonald’s in the Philippines, and who knows, perhaps even in the international fast food market. Its menu includes favorites like chicken joy, (sweet) spaghetti, and burgers cooked Filipino-style. It also serves traditional Pinoy breakfasts like tapsilog, longsilog, and bangsilog.

A recent survey conducted by thrillist.com put Jollibee in the number one spot among international chain restaurants that Americans haven’t seen or heard of before. It ranked the best among food chains that originated in countries like Russia, Singapore, Germany, France, the U.K., Brazil and Japan.

Upon hearing of the survey, top executives at the McDonald’s headquarters in Illinois convened an emergency meeting to strategize on how to counter what they expect to be a sudden surge in the popularity of Jollibee in the U.S.

“We’ve pretty much given up trying to beat that fat, stupid, happy bee in the Philippines, but for it to threaten our business here in America is just not acceptable,” a spokesperson for McDonald’s said.

Gird up your loins. Jollibee may soon be coming to a mall or street corner near you.