Jack in the Box

Jack in the Box is a quick-service burger chain known for its signature drive-thru marker with its clown head based on the toy after which the restaurant is named, as well as its diverse menu that has long included all-day breakfast and, in many locations, tacos.

The chain’s “Tiny Tacos,” introduced early in the novel coronavirus pandemic, were among the menu innovations that contributed to incremental sales and higher checks that have given the chain record-breaking sales throughout 2020 and 2021.

In recent years the company had been bogged down in a lawsuit by franchisees who in 2018 sued the parent company for, among other things, lack of direction. Since then the chain’s former CEO Leonard Comma was removed and replaced by Darin Harris who has rebuilt the executive team and restored relations with franchisees.

Jack in the Box was founded in 1951 by Robert O. Peterson in San Diego, where the chain is still headquartered.

Headquarters: San Diego

Segment: Quick Service

Restaurant Segment: LSR Burger

Number of U.S. Locations: 2,239

2020 Sales: $3.61 billion

Annual Growth:

Source: Datassential Firefly 500

CEO: Darin Harris