Delivery Website of Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, and Red Ribbon Temporarily Suspended by NPC

It's been a while since I craved for Jollibee Chicken Joy.

For some reason, I've been favoring the taste of Chicken McDo these days and I can't really explain why.

Earlier, though, something interesting happened.

After recording a couple of gadget unboxing videos for Youtube, as if by miracle, my desire for Jollibee's fried chicken returned - just like that - in time for dinner.

Can you believe it?

But the thing is, I was a tad too tired and busy to drive to the nearest Jollibee branch here in Tondo - located around a kilometer away from our house - so I decided to just visit Jollibee Delivery website to place my order like I used to.

I typed the name of the website on the browser and clicked enter, waiting eagerly for the photo of Jollibee Chicken Joy to appear on screen and have me salivating.

But instead, this messaged popped out:

"We are currently improving our delivery website to serve you better. To enjoy Jollibee favorites, please call our hotline at #87000. Don't forget to press the hashtag key on your phone. Enjoy!"

I know, right?

After reading it, I thought, "Ah, it's probably just a temporary glitch. It's Friday and they're most likely getting way too many delivery orders through the website."

I didn't want to leave my bedroom and go to the living room to use our landline so I just waited 15 minutes and refreshed the page, hoping that Jollibee has fixed the glitch.

But lo and behold, I still got the same notification.

Curious about what exactly happened to the page, I used Google to search for the keywords "Jollibee Website Not Working". In the results, I saw that the website has actually been suspended for a month now -- by no less than the National Privacy Commission!

Why, you ask? Well, apparently, Jollibee Delivery website experienced a data breach in December 2017 and since then, persons unknown to the Jollibee Foods Corporation Group appeared to have been able to gain access to the customer database of the delivery website, putting the privacy of users at risk.

In fact, apart from Jollibee, food delivery websites of other fastfood chains under JFC were also suspended by NPC for the same reason.

(Side Note: The Philippines' National Privacy Commission is a world-class regulatory and enforcement agency, which upholds the right to privacy and data protection of Filipinos while ensuring the free flow of information. Driven by a workforce that is highly competent, future-oriented, and ethical, NPC is committed to excellence and to building a competitive, knowledge-based, and innovative nation.)

Chowking Delivery website currently flashes this message:

"We are currently improving our delivery website to serve you better. To enjoy your Chowking favorites, please call our delivery hotlines:

Manila - 98888
Metro Cebu - 3438888
Cavite - 4198888
Laguna - 8387000
Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, Pangasinan, and Baguio - #98888"

The same goes for Greenwich Delivery, which shows this message on the homepage:

"We are currently updating our site to be able to serve you better. In the meantime, here are other ways you can place  your Greenwich Delivery orders:

1. via Foodpanda
2. via Greenwich Delivery Hotline - Just press #, then press 55555
3. via SMS Ordering - Just text G to 09198855555 or 09058555555 and we'll call you to take your order.

Thank you for understanding."

And finally, the delivery website of Red Ribbon - which is now a part of Jollibee Foods Corporation, flashes this note:

"We are currently undergoing a site update to be able to serve you better. In the meantime, you can place your Red Ribbon Delivery orders though our hotline: 87777. Thank you for your understanding."

According to the National Privacy Commission, "18 million individuals on Jollibee Foods Corporation’s database have high risk to exposure of personal data. The suspension will remain effective for an indefinite time [or] until the [websites'] vulnerabilities are satisfactorily addressed."

Obviously, JFC is currently doing the best it can to make all of the above-mentioned webpages far more secure for the benefit of their avid and loyal food-loving clientele. I am confident that the positive changes to the sites will go live soon but I couldn't resist tweeting Jollibee this question.

"@Jollibee Hi Jollibee! When will your delivery website go live again? :-)"

As of writing, the company hasn't replied to my tweet but I'll surely keep you posted once I hear word from them. So please stay tuned for that.

To wrap up: If you're wondering, I just drove to Jollibee Gagalangin Tondo to order my Chicken Joy personally and satisfy my craving. It's all good. Anyway, for me, eating inside any Jollibee branch is always a fun experience.