In December we let you know that Red Ribbon Bakeshop, a Filipino bakery chain, is coming to Wheaton. The bakery will be located at 2501 University Blvd W right next to the Anchor Inn sign that still stands. Currently, Red Ribbon Bakeshop has over 200 locations across the Philippines and 39 in the United States. In 2005 it was acquired by Jollibee Foods Corporation, which opened its first D.C. area Jollibee location at Wheaton Mall in 2021. Red Ribbon Bakeshop announced on its social media in November that it is hiring a General Manager for the location and has since added coming soon signage, but there is still plenty of construction left to go inside (photo below). Though we don’t have an opening date, we suspect the bakery to be at least a couple months away from opening.
More about Red Ribbon: In 1979, Amalia Hizon Mercado, husband Renato Mercado together with their five children, Consuelo Tiutan, Teresita Moran, Renato Mercado, Ricky Mercado and Romy Mercado established Red Ribbon as a small cake shop along Timog Avenue in Quezon City. The cakes developed by daughter Teresita Moran are what gave Red Ribbon its prominence in the dessert market of the Philippines. In 1984, it opened its first overseas outlet in West Covina, California. The company began franchising in 1999. Today, there are more than 200 branches all over the Philippines and 39 in the United States as it continues to expand.
Per the Red Ribbon Website: Proudly Filipino-owned, Red Ribbon started as a hobby-induced business in 1979. Our cakes would be lovingly shared frequently in get-togethers. Eventually, it turned to orders from family members who in turn shared their delight with a wider circle of relatives and friends. Once the cake boxes were adorned with a red ribbon, its now iconic symbol, the hobby turned into a flourishing business. The rest is sweet history.
