In-N-Out burger joints had started using drive-thrus a few years earlier but Jack in the Box was the first major food chain to really focus on drive-thru service. Jack in the Box is known for its diverse menu that features burgers, tacos, chicken sandwiches, milkshakes, breakfast and other late-night snacking options. The fast-food chain announced it will open 14 new restaurants in Florida and Arkansas as part of its company expansion. Back in February, Jack in the Box announced a 10-location deal for Orlando. The second batch of locations will be operated by franchisee Dan Soma.
Jack in the Box announces plans for 10 new Orlando locations
Currently, the chain has over 2,200 locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Lousiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington. In 1993, 73 different Jack in the Box locations were linked to an E. Coli outbreak that sickened over 700 people in four states, leading to 171 hospitalizations and the deaths of four children.
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Now, the fast food chain known for its late-night burgers and curly fries revealed it’s planning to open 10 more locations to the area, Director of Franchise Development Dustin Thompson confirmed to FOX 35. “Our team is beyond excited to bring ten new Jack in the Box locations to the greater Orlando area,” Zausch said. In a 2009 Super Bowl ad, Jack was hit by a bus and the company launched a successful campaign for hangintherejack.com where people could download coupons to “show your support for Jack.” Jack in the Box is an American fast-food restaurant founded in 1951. The company offers an americanized version of ethnic cuisines like egg rolls, tacos, breakfast burritos and poppers. New items usually come in on a rotation every three to four months.
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Locations near Imperial County, California, known for its date crops, get Date Ice Cream shakes. Major holidays get limited-time milkshakes such as the Basic Witch Shake, the Egg Nog shake and the Pumpkin Spice shake. There are also Angry Monster Tacos, pumpkin croissant bites and other seasonal offerings. A few years previously he had seen a two-way intercom system being used at an Alaskan restaurant called Chatterbox, the first known restaurant to let people in their cars place orders straight to the kitchen.
- The company said it is expanding to Florida and Arkansas and will open 14 new restaurants.
- They got rid of the mascot in 1980, according to Mashed, and changed the name of some restaurants to Monterey Jack’s, which didn’t last long.
- Burgerbeast.com reports that in 1979, Jack in the Box’s then-parent company, Ralston-Purina, closed or sold all of their restaurants in the southeast.
- Jack in the Box is a corporate sponsor of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and once held gave out a free burger and soda to everyone in the Bay Area if the team scored more than two touchdowns in a game (they did).
- But according to Mashed, in 1951 Peterson decided to try something new.
- Coli outbreak that sickened over 700 people in four states, leading to 171 hospitalizations and the deaths of four children.
At one point in the late 1970s Jack in the Box had more than 1,000 restaurants all over the country. Note that items are subject to availability and may vary from location to location. After over 40 years away, the iconic 24-hour fast-food place Jack in the Box is coming back to Florida in a big way.
What kind of food do they serve? Jack in the Box menu items
The company said it is expanding to Florida and Arkansas and will open 14 new restaurants. While the company hasn’t said for sure where they will open, they have posted “franchise opportunities” in Tampa and Orlando. The California-based food chain is most notable for their burgers, tacos, salads and their iconic branding. Their staple mascot is familiar to anyone from the West Coast, a strange ping-pong ball clown head, often seen nodding from car antennas.
Becoming an Orlando Weekly Supporter for as little as $5 a month allows us to continue offering readers access to our coverage of local news, food, nightlife, events, and culture with no paywalls. The new Orlando and Tallahassee locations account for nearly 10% of Jack in the Box’s 400 new franchise deals secured in the last three years, the company said in a release. However, like Wawa, it has a following and people are passionate about it, so it’s included on the list. Both convenience stores offer freshly made food and also are gas stations.
But after the rebranding failed to take off — and the company was trying to recover from its part in an E. Coli outbreak, see below — Jack returned in another explosive commercial, this time as a white clown head atop a business suit blowing up the company boardroom. Since the highly successful reboot, he has been the focus of the company’s edgy, slightly sinister, award-winning advertising campaigns. Jack in the Box was a burger place (18 cents each in 1951!) but from the beginning, the best-selling item from the restaurant chain based an hour away from Tijuana was tacos.
There are currently about 2,200 Jack in the Box locations across 22 states, with 400 more planned for the next three years, the company said. Despite some serious setbacks (see below), the company made over $4 billion dollars in 2022 according to QSR Magazine, putting them right behind Dairy Queen and Arby’s and just above Papa Johns and Little Caeser’s. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Don’t be afraid to wash down that cheeseburger with a Famous Big Boy Caramel Butter Pecan shake, too. Jack in the Box is a corporate sponsor of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and once held gave out a free burger and soda to everyone in the Bay Area if the team scored more than two touchdowns in a game (they did).
◦ According to Mashed, Jack in the Box was originally called “Topsy’s Drive-In,” part of a popular San Diego chain of drive-in restaurants. But that’s where Peterson separated himself by taking the concept of drive-in eating a step further. Jack was dropped from advertising in the 1980s when the franchise decided to go after the adult market with an upscale menu and a new name (“Monterey’s Jack”). Some regional Jack in the Box locations also offer items appealing to their local customers.
But Burgerbeast.com reports that in 1979, Jack in the Box’s then-parent company Ralston-Purina closed or sold all of their restaurants in the southeast to focus on the west and southwest. All the Florida locations — Tallahassee, Sanford, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Bradenton and Orlando — were shut down by 1980. In the 1940s, Peterson owned two small chains of drive-in restaurants in San Diego, one called Topsy’s and the other Oscar’s. At that time, “drive-in” meant you parked and someone called a carhop would come to your car, take your order, and bring your food to you.
◦ The restaurant’s mascot is Jack Box, a clown with a ping-pong-shaped head. They got rid of the mascot in 1980, according to Mashed, and changed the name of some restaurants to Monterey Jack’s, which didn’t last long. According to the company’s growth map, Jack in the Box has plans to offer more franchise opportunities in North and Central Florida. The chain famous for its vast and ever-changing menu, controversial commercials and ping-pong-ball-headed mascot has been primarily a West Coast phenomenon but it has plans to go bigger. While the exact locations have not been announced, the company confirmed that some will be in the Orlando market. “This is the first time the brand has entered the Arkansas market, and over 30 years since it was last in Florida,” the company said in a press release.
But according to Mashed, in 1951 Peterson decided to try something new. The news comes about a year after the restaurant announced plans to open 14 restaurants in Florida and Arkansas. Those restaurants were to be opened under franchisee Jonathan Peralta, but his connection to the company’s latest update remains unclear. According to Jack in the Box, this would be their first foray into Florida in 30 years. Burgerbeast.com reports that in 1979, Jack in the Box’s then-parent company, Ralston-Purina, closed or sold all of their restaurants in the southeast. The site says that all locations in Florida — in Tallahassee, Sanford, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Bradenton and Orlando — were gone by 1980.
What makes them unique is that they have a vast menu, which differs depending on the location. Breakfast is famously served all day and at night you can Build Your Own Munchie Meal. Over the years Jack in the Box has offered several Americanized versions of foods from around the world such as egg rolls, poppers, breakfast burritos and Asian fried chicken. The chain also frequently experiments with new menu items such as Philly cheesesteaks, pitas, shrimp, gyros, pizza bites, breakfast bowls, the Cinnabon Iced Cinnacoffee and a wide variety of different flavors of milkshakes. The Jack in the Box Wiki lists over 340 menu items Jack in the Box has offered at one time or another. ORLANDO, Fla. – Jack in the Box announced back in February that it would be bringing 10 locations to Orlando.
In 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported that Americans were eating 554 million Jack in the Box tacos every year. “Expanding into Florida, one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing states, aligns perfectly with our strategic plan for the Southeast,” Chief Development Officer Tim Linderman said in a news release. “We’re thrilled to bring our iconic brand to Tallahassee, our next new market, and further develop our presence in Orlando.”
Exact locations of the 10 Orlando-area restaurants have not yet been revealed, nor has a timeline for opening them. We do know that they’ll offer dine-in, drive-thru and mobile ordering 24 hours a day. The Altoona, Pennsylvania-based Sheetz sells a mix of fast food and other convenience store items, including MTOs — made-to-order food items — donuts, burritos, french fries and its newest brand of specialty coffees called Sheetz Bros. Jack in the Box was also the first fast food service to offer breakfast sandwiches and salads-to-go. Where exactly the restaurant locations will be has not yet been revealed, nor has a timeline for opening them. The following restaurants are hyper-local — for instance, Taco Villa is available only in central and north Texas, and Blake’s Lotaburger has locations just in the southwest — but they’re worth mentioning, too.
He bought the rights to use it and converted one of his Topsy’s locations into a new place, Jack in the Box, that used the Chatterbox system, the first fast-food restaurant to do so, according to History.com. “Through my travels to the West Coast, I fell in love with the Jack in the Box brand. After returning home, I read that Jack in the Box was looking to expand in the Florida market, and I knew that was our sign,” said Jonathan Peralta, Orlando franchisee. “Jack in the Box checked all of the boxes of what we were looking for in a franchise opportunity.”
The popular restaurant chain poked its big round white head back into the Sunshine State last year, announcing plans to return. On Monday, the California-based company announced five more franchises coming to Tallahassee and 10 in Orlando. Jack in the Box announced Wednesday it’s planning to open 10 locations in the Orlando area, according to a press release. Settlements reached over $50 million, “the largest payment related to foodborne illness at the time,” Marler said, and ultimately the company lost approximately $160 million both in court and from lost sales. Peterson quickly converted all his other restaurants into Jack in the Box locations (Jacks in the Box? Jack in the Boxes?).