TORONTO - Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee Food Corporation plans to open 100 stores in Canada within the next five years.

The company says it is eyeing the wave of new locations because the country is a key growth market and a big part of its North American expansion plans.

Jollibee attracted long lines of customers when it entered the Canadian market in 2016, opening two Winnipeg locations and a store in Scarborough, Ont. over the last three years.

It hopes to expand further in Ontario, but is also exploring stores in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.

Its aggressive expansion comes as international interest in Filipino food is rising and as Canada is attracting an increasing number of restaurants serving such food.

Jollibee's Filipino fare includes spaghetti in a sweet sauce, crispy chicken, burgers and peach mango pies.