Jack in the Box facts for kids
 Logo used since October 4, 2022.
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Jack in the Box headquarters in San Diego, California in February 2008.
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| Public | |
| Traded as | NASDAQ: JACK S&P 600 Component |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Fast food |
| Founded | 1951 |
| Founder | Robert O. Peterson |
| Headquarters | 9357 Spectrum Center Blvd, San Diego, California, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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2,218 (2021) |
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Area served
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21 states in the U.S. |
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Key people
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Darrin Harris, CEO David Goebel, Chairman |
| Products | |
| Revenue |  US$1.021 billion (2020) |
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Operating income
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US$ 230.584 million (2020) |
| US$ 89.764 million (2020) |
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| Total assets |  US$1.906 billion (2020) |
| Total equity | -US$ 793.361 million (2020) |
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Number of employees
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c. 5,300 (2021) |
| Subsidiaries | Different Rules, LLC Del Taco |
Jack in the Box is a popular American fast-food restaurant chain. It was started in 1951 by Robert O. Peterson in San Diego, California. The company's main office is still in San Diego.
Today, Jack in the Box has more than 2,200 locations. Most of these restaurants are on the West Coast of the United States. You can also find them in big cities outside the West Coast. There are even two locations in Guam!
Jack in the Box offers many different food items. These include chicken tenders and French fries. They also serve hamburgers and cheeseburger sandwiches. You can find internationally inspired foods like tacos and egg rolls too. The company used to own Qdoba Mexican Grill. However, that chain was sold in 2017.
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History of Jack in the Box Restaurants
Robert O. Peterson was a successful restaurant owner. In 1941, he opened Topsy's Drive-In in San Diego. He opened several more Topsy's locations. By the late 1940s, his restaurants had a fun, circus-like look. They featured drawings of a clown.
In 1947, Peterson got the idea for intercom ordering. He learned it from George Manos, who owned a restaurant called Chatterbox in Alaska. This was one of the first places to use an intercom for drive-up orders.
The First Jack in the Box
In 1951, Peterson changed his El Cajon Boulevard location into the first Jack in the Box. This new restaurant focused on drive-through service. While drive-throughs existed, Jack in the Box was special. It was the first major chain to use a two-way intercom system. This made service much faster. While one customer was getting their food, another customer's order could be taken. A huge clown figure was on the roof. A smaller clown head sat on the intercom. It had a sign that said, "Pull forward, Jack will speak to you."
The Jack in the Box restaurant was designed to be a "modern food machine." It was created by architect Russell Forester. The quick service made the new restaurant very popular. Soon, all of Peterson's other restaurants were changed to Jack in the Box. They all had intercoms.
Growth and Changes
In 1960, Peterson created Foodmaker, Inc. This company managed all the Jack in the Box restaurants. At this time, there were over 180 locations. Most were in California and the Southwest. The company made sure all locations had high standards for food and service.
In 1968, Peterson sold Foodmaker to the Ralston Purina Company. In the 1970s, Jack in the Box grew a lot. They started to sell franchises, allowing other people to own locations. The chain began to look more like big competitors such as McDonald's. However, Jack in the Box faced challenges later in the 1970s. Its plans to expand to the East Coast were stopped. By the end of the decade, more Jack in the Box restaurants were being sold.
Around 1980, Foodmaker changed its marketing plan. They showed the chain's clown symbol exploding in TV commercials. The new slogan was, "The food is better at the Box." Jack in the Box decided not to compete with McDonald's for families with young children. Instead, they aimed for older customers. They offered a higher-quality menu. Their TV commercials were funny and featured Dan Gilvezan. He tried to compare Jack in the Box's new menu to other fast-food chains, but couldn't. This led to their slogan, "There's No Comparison."
Jack in the Box restaurants were updated with new colors and plants. The old logo with the clown head was changed. By 1981 or 1982, the clown head was removed from the logo completely. This new logo stayed until 2009.
In the mid-1980s, TV ads used simple, distinctive music. The menu also became much more varied. It added salads, chicken sandwiches, and Curly Fries. Jack in the Box introduced at least two new menu items each year. This was at a time when most fast-food places only offered hamburgers. Sales increased throughout the 1980s. Ralston Purina tried to make the restaurant seem more grown-up. They even renamed it "Monterey Jack's" in late 1985. But people didn't like the new name, so "Jack in the Box" was brought back in early 1986.
After 18 years, Ralston Purina sold Foodmaker to its management in 1985. By 1987, sales reached $655 million. The chain had 897 restaurants. Foodmaker became a publicly traded company, meaning its shares could be bought and sold by the public.
In 2018, the Jack in the Box Franchisee Association voted "no confidence" in the company's CEO, Leonard Comma. They asked him to resign. In December 2019, Comma announced he would step down.
On December 6, 2021, Jack in the Box announced it would buy Del Taco. Del Taco has about 600 locations in 16 U.S. states. The deal was completed in March 2022.
JBX Grill Restaurants
JBX Grill was a type of restaurant started by Jack in the Box Inc. in 2004. These were "fast casual" restaurants. They offered higher-quality, cafe-style food. They avoided the cheaper fast-food items usually found at Jack in the Box. The restaurants had a cheerful and positive design. The customer service was similar to sit-down restaurants.
Two Jack in the Box restaurants in San Diego were changed into JBX Grill locations to test the idea. There were also JBX Grill restaurants in Bakersfield, California, and Boise and Nampa, Idaho. However, the idea did not work out. The last JBX Grill stores were changed back to Jack in the Box in 2006.
Food Products
Jack in the Box is known for its hamburgers. But its most popular item is the taco. They have sold tacos since the first restaurant opened in the 1950s. As of 2017, the company sold 554 million tacos each year. These tacos are made in factories in Texas and Kansas. They are frozen for shipping and storage. At the restaurant, they are deep-fried. Then, they are prepared with lettuce, cheese, and mild taco sauce.
Besides tacos, Jack in the Box also offers other Americanized foods inspired by different cultures. These include egg rolls, breakfast burritos, and poppers. New items are added to the menu every few months. Some past items include the Philly cheesesteak and deli-style pannidos. These were later replaced by Jack's ciabatta burger.
Jack in the Box also has seasonal items. These include pumpkin pie shakes, Oreo mint shakes, and eggnog shakes during the holidays. In some places, local favorite foods are on the menu. For example, in Hawaii, you can find the Paniolo Breakfast. This includes Portuguese sausage, eggs, and rice. They also offer teriyaki chicken and rice bowls. In the Southern United States, you can find biscuits and sweet tea. In Imperial County, California, some locations sell date shakes. This is because dates are a common crop there.
In 2007, Jack in the Box added a sirloin burger. Later, they added a sirloin steak melt. In November 2009, the company stopped selling its popular ciabatta sandwiches. In 2012, Jack in the Box introduced a bacon milkshake. This was part of their "Marry Bacon" campaign.
The Sourdough Jack burger has been around since 1997. It uses two slices of sourdough bread with a hamburger patty. It was first introduced in 1991 as the "Sourdough Grilled Burger."
In September 2013, Jack's Munchie Meal was launched. The first four Munchie Meals were:
- Spicy Nacho Chicken Sandwich
- Sriracha Curly Fry Burger
- Stacked Grilled Cheeseburger
- Chick-n-Tater Melt
Each meal also came with two tacos, halfsie fries (curly fries and french fries), and a drink. In 2023, these items were replaced. Now, you can build your own Munchie Meal. Choices include an Ultimate Cheeseburger, Jack's Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Cluck Sandwich, and a Double Jack.
In October 2016, "Brunchfast" items were introduced. These included:
- Bacon & Egg Chicken Sandwich
- Blood Orange Fruit Cooler
- Brunch Burger
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Homestyle Potatoes
- Southwest Scrambler Plate
In January 2018, "Food Truck Series" sandwiches were introduced. These included the Asian Fried Chicken, Pork Belly BLT, and Prime Rib Cheesesteak.
In January 2023, Jack in the Box started selling Red Bull Infusions drinks. In February 2023, Jack in the Box worked with Mint Mobile and Ryan Reynolds. They created a minty version of the Oreo Shake. It was called the "Mint Mobile Shake" to promote the phone company.
Advertising and the Jack Character
The restaurant became popular again in 1994. This was thanks to a very successful marketing campaign. It featured a made-up character named Jack. Jack is the chairman of Jack in the Box. He has a ping pong ball-like head, a yellow clown cap, blue eyes, a pointy black nose, and a red smile. He wears a business suit.
Jack was brought back to show the company's new direction. This happened after a serious food safety issue in 1993. The company needed to recover. In the first ad in 1994, Jack says he's back "through the miracle of plastic surgery." He walks into the Jack in the Box boardroom. He then blows up the boardroom with a detonator! The ad ends with a bag of food dropping onto a table. It says "Jack's Back." Later ads show the name of the food item being promoted.
One commercial in 1997 showed Jack visiting a man's house. The man had called Jack in the Box "Junk in the Box." Jack chased him outside, tackled him, and made him try the food. Jack then said, "I'm sorry for the grass stains." When asked "Really?", he replied, "No."
The "Jack's Back" commercials have won many advertising awards. They are usually funny. Jack often makes business decisions about the food. Or he goes out to find ideas for new menu items. Many commercials also gave away free car antenna balls with meals. This helped more people recognize the brand. Different antenna balls were available for holidays or sports teams. These antenna balls are no longer given out.
During the XFL football league, Jack owned a made-up football team. It was called the Carnivores. They played against teams like the Tofu Eaters.
In 1997, a successful ad campaign used a fictional music group. They were called the Spicy Crispy Girls. This was a funny version of the Spice Girls, a very popular British pop group. The commercials promoted the new Jack in the Box Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich. The Spicy Crispy Girls idea was later used for the 'Meaty Cheesy Boys.' This group promoted the Ultimate Cheeseburger in 1999-2001.
In 1998, one of the Spicy Crispy Girls commercials won a top award for humor.
The Meaty Cheesy Boys were a fake boy band. They were created in 1999 to promote the Ultimate Cheeseburger. They even performed their song "Ultimate Cheeseburger" at the 1999 Billboard Music Awards.
In 2000, an ad showed a man stuck on an island with only a Jack in the Box antenna ball. The director Robert Zemeckis sued the ad agency. He said they copied parts of his movie Cast Away. But his lawsuit was dismissed.
In April 2006, Jack in the Box started an ad campaign called "Bread is Back." This made fun of the low carbohydrate diets that were popular then.
In 2007, Jack in the Box began ads for their new 100% sirloin beef hamburgers. They suggested their burgers were better than those from other chains.
During Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, commercials showed Jack in a coma after being hit by a bus. In October 2009, Jack in the Box released a popular ad for their "Teriyaki Bowl" meals. The ad showed employees getting "bowl cut" haircuts. At the end, Jack showed his "bowl cut" was a wig.
Company Logos
One older logo had a small clown hat with three dots. This was from October 1977. The clown head was removed in 1980. In October 1977, the clown head was in a red box by itself. The company name was below or next to the box. Signs in front of restaurants only showed the clown head. You can see the "clown head" in old Jack in the Box commercials online. Most Jack in the Box locations opened before late 2008 had this logo. The chain has been replacing them with newer logos. Some locations still use this old logo for their "Open/Closed" signs.
Restaurant Locations
In 2005, Jack in the Box announced plans to expand across the entire country by 2010. To help with this, they started showing ads in states far from their closest restaurants.
Their expansion plan focused on Colorado, Delaware, Florida, and Texas. In 2007, the first new Colorado store opened in Golden. This marked the end of Jack in the Box's 11-year absence from that state.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, several locations opened in June 2009. Jack in the Box restaurants had not been in Albuquerque for about 20 years.
In September 2010, the company announced that 40 underperforming Jack in the Box restaurants would close. Most of these were in Texas and the Southeast.
In March 2011, Jack in the Box launched the Munchie Mobile in San Diego. This is a food truck that serves Jack's burgers and fries. In June 2012, they launched a second food truck in the southeastern U.S. Another truck was launched for Northern Texas in April 2013.
In January 2012, Jack in the Box opened its first of three locations in the Indianapolis area. A few months later, the first Ohio location opened in September 2012 in West Chester.
In May 2023, Jack in the Box showed interest in returning to the Mexican market. They had tried to operate there briefly in the early 1990s, but it didn't work out.
Sports Sponsorships
In November 2017, Jack in the Box became a sponsor of the Dallas Fuel. This is a team in the Overwatch League. They also sponsor Team Envy, a professional video game-playing team.
Jack in the Box is also a current sponsor for the San Francisco 49ers football team. In some locations, mainly in the San Francisco Bay Area, there's a special deal. If the 49ers score two touchdowns, you can buy a large drink and get a free Jumbo Jack the day after the game. The Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team has a similar deal in the L.A. Metro and Inland Empire. If they strike out 10 opposing batters, you can get the free Jumbo Jack with a large drink purchase. The Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team has a similar deal in metro Phoenix. If any Diamondbacks player hits a home run, you can get a free Jumbo Jack with a large drink purchase.
See also
- List of hamburger restaurants
