Jack in the Box

Name: Jack in the Box

Type of Food: Burger, specialty sandwiches and salads

Interesting Fact: Jack in the Box pioneered a number of firsts in the fast food industry. It was the first major fast-food chain that started as a drive-thru, and it was also the first to introduce menu items that are now staples on most fast-food menu boards, including a breakfast sandwich and portable salad.

History: Robert Oscar Peterson was the founder of Jack In The Box. Before that creation he already owned several successful restaurants when he opened Topsy’s Drive-In in San Diego in 1941. Several more Topsy’s were opened and eventually renamed Oscar’s. By the late 1940s the Oscar’s locations had developed a circus-like décor featuring drawings of a starry-eyed clown.  In 1951, Peterson opened a similar restaurant on the Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach, with a giant clown’s head atop the building. Called Jack in the Box, this hamburger stand had no carhops at all, but instead offered the innovation of a two-way intercom system, allowing much faster service through the drive-through window—while one customer’s car was at the window, a second and even a third customer’s order could be taken and prepared. Quick service made the new location very popular, and soon all of Oscar’s locations were redesigned with intercoms and rechristened as Jack in the Box restaurants.

In 1966, Peterson’s holding company for Jack In the Box was known as Foodmaker, Inc. All Jack in the Box locations at this time were company-owned; location sites, food preparation, quality control and the hiring and training of on-site managers and staff in each location was subject to rigorous screening processes and strict performance standards. In 1968, when Peterson sold Foodmaker to Ralston Purina Company there were 180 locations, mainly in California and the Southwest.

In the 1970s Foodmaker (owned by Ralston Purina)led the Jack in the Box chain toward prolific growth with many new franchised.

In 1985,Ralston Purina sold off Foodmaker,to management.By 1987 sales reached $655 million, the chain boasted 897 restaurants, and Foodmaker became a publicly traded company.

Today there are more than 2,200 Jack in the Box restaurants in 19 states.

Jack in the Box Website: www.jackinthebox.com

Official Jack in the Box Social Media: Facebook - Twitter

View the Jack in the Box menu: here

Find your local Jack in the Box: here

Jack in the Box Specials: -Newsletter – Gift Card – Coupons