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Dictionary:
jack-in-the-box (jăk'ĭn-THə-bŏks') |
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| Hoover's Profile: Jack in the Box Inc. |
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Balance Sheet Cash Flow Statement 9330 Balboa Ave. San Diego, CA 92123-1516 CA Tel. 858-571-2121 Fax 858-571-2101 |
Type: Public
On the web:
http://www.jackinthebox.com
Employees:
42,700
Employee growth: 0.5%
Led by an affable "CEO" with a Ping-Pong ball for a head, Jack in the Box is among the leading quick-service restaurant businesses in the US. The company operates and franchises about 2,200 of its flagship hamburger outlets in California, Texas, and about 15 other states. Jack in the Box offers such standard fast-food fare as burgers, fries, and soft drinks, as well as salads, tacos, and breakfast items. More than 1,250 locations are company-owned, while the rest are franchised. In addition to its mainstay burger business, the company runs a chain of about 500 Qdoba Mexican Grill fast-casual eateries through its Qdoba Restaurant Corporation subsidiary.
Key numbers for fiscal year ending September, 2008:
Sales: $2,539.6M
One year growth: (11.7%)
Net income: $119.3M
Income growth: (5.6%)
Officers:
Chairman and CEO: Linda A. Lang
President and COO: Paul L. Schultz
VP and CIO: Stephanie E. Cline
Competitors:
Burger King
McDonald's
YUM!
| Company History: Jack in the Box Inc. |
Founded: 1951
Incorporated: 1966 as Foodmaker, Inc.
NAIC: 722211 Limited-Service Restaurants; 447110 Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores; 533110 Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (Except Copyrighted Works)
SIC: 5541 Gasoline Service Stations; 6792 Oil Royalty Traders; 6794 Patent Owners & Lessors
Jack in the Box Inc. is the operator and franchiser of the Jack in the Box fast-food hamburger chain, which encompasses nearly 2,100 units mainly in the western and southern United States. Around 70 percent of the units are company owned. The chain mainly targets adult fast-food customers and relies on quirky advertising featuring Jack, a fictional founder, CEO, and pitchman with an oversized, ping-pong-ball-shaped head. The company also operates more than 50 Quick Stuff convenience stores, which include a major name-brand gasoline station and are adjacent to a full-size Jack in the Box outlet. In addition, the company owns Qdoba Mexican Grill, a fast-casual chain featuring "nouveau Mexican" food, with more than 350 restaurants in around 40 states, most of which are franchised.
Early Development of the Chain
Jack in the Box's founder was Robert O. Peterson, who created the chain through his foodservice company called San Diego Commissary Company. Within this firm, Peterson created numerous successful specialty restaurant chains, including Oscar's, Hamburger House, Family Tree, and The Jolly Ox. His greatest success was Jack in the Box, a unique chain of fast-food restaurants that enabled customers to drive up to a menu board, place their order, and drive away with their food in roughly three minutes. Situated on top of the menu board, with a microphone concealed inside, was the company's symbol, a large jack-in-the-box. Peterson's fast-food concept was notable for its speed of service and its drive-through, rather than drive-in, format.
Jack in the Box had evolved from a carhop restaurant opened in 1941 as Topsy's Drive-In. Over the next several years, as the drive-in restaurant concept began to enjoy increasing popularity, Topsy's Drive-In was expanded to four locations and renamed Oscar's, then renamed Jack in the Box in 1951, when its first drive-through unit was opened in San Diego. In 1960 the parent company changed its name to Foodmaker Company, and Jack in the Box expanded for the first time outside of California, opening its first outlets in Phoenix, Arizona. Texas was next on the expansion agenda, with Jack in the Box units popping up in Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth areas in 1963. The chain, which had expanded to 24 units by 1961, grew to 182 units by 1966.
Throughout Jack in the Box's formative years, Foodmaker Co. had prepared all of the chain's food products except dairy items and hamburger buns, providing for the daily delivery of food to each individual restaurant. In 1965, however, Foodmaker Co. spun off its restaurant division, including Jack in the Box, and its commissary and specialty restaurant division, which included Hamburger House, Family Tree, and The Jolly Ox. The former was incorporated in July 1965 as Jack in the Box Inc. In September 1966 Foodmaker, Inc., was incorporated, and four months later it acquired the commissary and specialty restaurant business of Foodmaker Co. The result after the confusing corporate reshuffling was Foodmaker, Inc., operator of 27 specialty restaurants located throughout southern California, and Jack in the Box Inc., owner of roughly 200 Jack in the Box restaurants.
Shortly thereafter Foodmaker merged with Jack in the Box and Foodmaker, Inc., began providing exactly the same preparation, purchasing, and delivery services to Jack in the Box restaurants that Foodmaker Co. had previously provided. By the time the dust had settled from the renewed alliance, the chain of fast-food drive-throughs had established a solid foundation after a decade and a half of growth. Offering a menu that included hamburgers, cheeseburgers, french fries, onion rings, fried chicken, fried shrimp, tacos, apple turnovers, and soft drinks, Jack in the Box had proved its popularity with the American public, prompting Foodmaker to map out an ambitious expansion plan. Between 1966 and 1973, Foodmaker management proposed to open 450 to 500 additional Jack in the Box restaurants, more than tripling the size of the chain.
Such optimism pervaded Foodmaker's management in 1966 for several reasons. Since the inception of the Jack in the Box concept and the chain's swift expansion throughout the Southwest, only two units had failed, an enviable record made more remarkable by the potentially risky practice of leasing Jack in the Box restaurants to independent entrepreneurs. Designated leasees rather than franchisees, independent Jack in the Box operators purchased all their food from Foodmaker, paid rent to Foodmaker based on the sales their restaurant generated, and kept the remainder of the money their particular unit produced as income.
Much of Foodmaker's growth was due to its methodical approach to managing the Jack in the Box chain. Everything, including the preparation of food, the selection of restaurant sites, the screening of prospective leasees, and the staffing of individual Jack in the Box units was done methodically and efficiently. Once successfully past a preliminary screening, leasees were subjected to a battery of tests conducted by a psychologist, then provided with a location for their Jack in the Box that from 1965 forward was selected by a computer. After seven months of training, Jack in the Box operators were required to stay in close contact with Foodmaker management through daily and weekly accounting summaries. Foodmaker's control over the chain went further, including at least three onsite inspections per week, giving Foodmaker the ability to maintain quality standards, monitor performance, and plot further growth with precision.
1968-85: Ralston Purina Subsidiary
Well organized and enjoying gratifying success, the Foodmaker organization drew the attention of much larger companies, and in 1968 Foodmaker was acquired by Ralston Purina Company, which operated it as a wholly owned subsidiary. During the 1970s, Foodmaker and Ralston Purina led the Jack in the Box chain toward its most prolific growth, but as the decade progressed, the chain began to increasingly resemble its larger competitors, particularly the industry giant, McDonald's Corporation. Jack in the Box began to struggle during the latter part of the decade, and its expansion into East Coast markets was at first cut back from original estimates, then halted altogether. In 1979 Foodmaker decided to concentrate its efforts on the western and southwestern United States, and it sold or closed its more than 200 Jack in the Box outlets in the eastern and midwestern parts of the country.
Needing to shift gears to effect a turnaround, Foodmaker management began the following decade on an explosive note when the chain in 1980 signaled a dramatic shift in marketing strategy by blowing up its symbol, the jack-in-the-box clown, in television commercials. Jack in the Box announced that it would no longer compete for McDonald's target customer base of families with young children. Instead, Foodmaker would attempt to attract older, more affluent customers with what it touted as a higher-quality, more upscale menu, which attempted to satisfy the changing tastes of aging baby boomers.
In accordance with this new marketing strategy, Jack in the Box restaurants were remodeled and redecorated with designs intended to attract older, more affluent patrons. Most important, the chain's menu was greatly expanded, transforming Jack in the Box from a limited-menu hamburger operation that had been unsuccessfully competing against McDonald's into a chain of restaurants boasting a diverse menu at a time when few fast-food operations offered more than what had become the standard menu for the industry. Menu diversification became the key to success during the 1980s, driving annual sales upward as the decade progressed. Another important change in this period came in 1982, when Foodmaker discontinued its San Diego-based commissary and food-manufacturing activities.
1985-92: Succession of Shifts from Private to Public Ownership
After Foodmaker's new strategy had recorded encouraging success for several years, Ralston Purina came out with its own new strategic plan, announcing in 1985 that it would continue to own only those companies that were number one in their respective markets. Despite Foodmaker's progress during the first half of the decade, Ralston Purina's edict meant that Foodmaker was slated for divestiture. Foodmaker's management arranged a $435 million leveraged buyout of the company, returning Foodmaker to private ownership after 18 years as a subsidiary of Ralston Purina.
Once again on its own, Foodmaker continued to distinguish itself from other fast-food chains with its varying, expanding menu. Under Foodmaker's direction, Jack in the Box was introducing at least two new menu items per year at a time when the chain's competitors were simplifying their menus, and was recording big success with such items as Chicken Fajita Pita, Hot Club Supreme Sandwich, Ultimate Cheeseburger, and a line of "finger foods" that included egg rolls, deep-fried shrimp, and fried chicken strips. During the late 1980s the chain's menu offered more than 40 items. By 1987 sales reached $655 million, the chain boasted 897 restaurants, and Foodmaker went public.
With Jack in the Box once again demonstrating the strength it had shown during the 1950s and 1960s, Foodmaker began looking for another growth vehicle for the company. In 1988 Foodmaker acquired Chi-Chi's Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, for $235 million. The acquisition gave Foodmaker a chain of roughly 200 Mexican dinner restaurants to complement its primary money earner, Jack in the Box.
Believing the stock market had significantly undervalued its stock, Foodmaker management returned the company to private ownership after the acquisition of Chi-Chi's. Over the course of the next two years sales generated by the Chi-Chi's chain doubled, jumping from $25 million to $50 million, while the Jack in the Box chain continued to perform admirably. In 1990 the 1,000th Jack in the Box unit was opened in Yorba Linda, California, marking the end of a ten-year period that saw the chain emerge from the formidable shadow cast by McDonald's and establish a distinct image. Looking ahead, Foodmaker management anticipated opening 60 new Jack in the Box units per year and 20 new Chi-Chi's restaurants per year during the early 1990s, confident that the previous decade of growth would continue unabated into the 1990s.
The onset of a national economic recession, however, dashed the company's expectation of an encouraging start in the new decade. In 1991 the company suffered an 81 percent decline in net earnings, while annual sales remained flat, hovering at $1.15 billion. Once again, Foodmaker went public, with a 1992 initial public offering of 17.2 million shares (at $15 per share) raising about $258 million, which was earmarked to fund an ongoing expansion of the firm's two chains. Despite the lackluster performance recorded during 1991, company management announced an ambitious plan in October 1992 to spend between $60 million and $100 million over the next decade on international expansion, delineating plans to develop roughly 700 Jack in the Box units in the Far East, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
Weathering a Major Case of E. coli Contamination
In December 1992, however, the company suffered a disastrous blow when a customer, six-year-old Lauren Rudolph, suffered three heart attacks and died. Her death was caused by a food-borne bacteria known as E. coli (Escherichia coli), the origin of which was linked to the consumption of a tainted and undercooked Jack in the Box hamburger. Within a month three more Jack in the Box customers, all young children, died, while more than 600 people in five western states fell ill, arousing nationwide fear of an E. coli bacterial epidemic and a pervasive distrust of the Jack in the Box chain. Foodmaker lost $98.1 million in 1993 and another $39.6 million in 1994, while sales slipped to $1.24 billion in 1993 and $1.05 billion in 1994. In January 1994, in the wake of the E. coli contamination episode, the Chi-Chi's chain of 237 Mexican restaurants was sold to Restaurant Enterprises Group, Inc. (REGI), for $270 million in cash and equity, as Foodmaker attempted to recover from the massive image problem engendered by four dead customers and hundreds others left with lasting health impairments and the need for organ transplants. Foodmaker emerged with a 39 percent stake in REGI, which simultaneously changed its name to Family Restaurants, Inc. (FRI).
In the meantime, in early 1994, Foodmaker settled four wrongful-death lawsuits stemming from the E. coli outbreak, paying the victims' families an unspecified amount. The company launched a comprehensive food safety program immediately after the E. coli outbreak, a program later cited by the Food and Drug Administration as a model for the fast-food industry. Foodmaker also settled a class-action lawsuit brought by its franchisees over the bacteria outbreak for approximately $44.5 million and another one brought by shareholders for $8 million. Quarter after quarter--nine straight through early 1995--Foodmaker operated in the red. Not surprisingly, sales and performance levels enjoyed by Jack in the Box before 1993 continued to elude the chain, causing considerable concern for the future.
An aggressive attempt to achieve a recovery was launched in 1995. That year, the company resurrected its clown mascot in national television commercials, bringing the old symbol of Jack in the Box back in a series of irreverent advertisements featuring Jack as a blue-suited fictional founder, CEO, and ad pitchman with a spherical clown head. Foodmaker earmarked $35 million for remodeling Jack in the Box units by the spring of 1995, with the remodeling of franchise units slated to follow in the ensuing 18 months. The company returned to the black in the second half of fiscal 1995, although full-year results showed a $69 million loss, much of which stemmed from a $57.2 million write-down of its stake in FRI. Foodmaker divested this stake late in 1995.
Longtime company CEO Jack Goodall retired from that position in April 1996 but remained Foodmaker chairman. Taking over as chief executive was Robert Nugent, who had been executive vice-president and head of the Jack in the Box chain. Foodmaker achieved a full-year profit of $20 million in the fiscal year ending in September 1996 as sales swelled 4.3 percent. The company signaled its continuing recovery the following year by returning to growth mode, opening 75 more Jack in the Box locations. It also put the E. coli tragedy farther behind it in early 1998 by reaching a settlement with the Vons Companies, its main meat processor prior to the outbreak. Foodmaker had sued Vons and other suppliers in 1993, and the settlement called for Foodmaker to receive a payment of $58.5 million.
In fiscal 1999 more than 100 Jack in the Box outlets opened for business, bringing the total to more than 1,500, while existing units enjoyed robust sales gains thanks to improved service and an increased advertising emphasis on the quality of the chain's food offerings. As a result, Foodmaker recorded record profits of $76.5 million on revenues of $1.46 billion, with sales jumping nearly 20 percent. On the heels of these stellar results, the Foodmaker name was finally retired, as the corporation renamed itself Jack in the Box Inc. At the same time, the company embarked on a new expansion drive centered on a return of the chain to the southeastern United States. Three markets were the initial locations chosen for new Jack in the Box outlets that sported an updated, more contemporary design: Charlotte, North Carolina; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Nashville, Tennessee.
Early 21st Century: Quick Stuff, Qdoba, "Brand Reinvention"
After enjoying another solid year in fiscal 2000, Jack in the Box saw its sales and profit growth stagnate along with the rest of the fast-food industry amid the economic downturn that began the new century. The company nevertheless continued to open up new outlets, though fewer than in previous years, including its first ones in a fourth southeastern market, Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, which debuted in 2001. That same year, Goodall stepped down from his position as chairman and was succeeded by Nugent. Attempting to reignite growth, the chain in 2002 launched a major promotional initiative called "Our Best Burgers Ever" that centered around an upgrade of its core sandwich line with better ingredients, improved procedures, and new packaging. At the same time, Jack in the Box launched a "refranchising" effort aimed at increasing the percentage of the chain's outlets that were franchised. Fully 80 percent of the units were company owned then. The firm sought to accomplish this refranchising goal both by pursuing the opening of new franchised outlets and converting company-owned units into franchised ones. This initiative was aimed at increasing company earnings given that franchised outlets were typically more profitable than those owned by the company.
Other avenues that Jack in the Box pursued at this time to restart growth included a new cobranded concept and the acquisition of another chain. In 2002, after three years of testing, the company began rolling out its own convenience store format called Quick Stuff. The Quick Stuff outlets, each of which was located adjacent to a full-size Jack in the Box, incorporated a major-branded gasoline station into their sites. In January 2003 Jack in the Box entered the rapidly growing fast-casual sector of the restaurant industry by spending $45 million for Qdoba Restaurant Corporation, operator of the Qdoba Mexican Grill chain, which had 85 outlets in 16 states. Qdoba, based in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and founded in 1995, specialized in "nouveau Mexican" cuisine for adults and had increased its sales to $65 million by the time of its acquisition by Jack in the Box. Under its new corporate parent, the largely franchised Qdoba chain was rapidly expanded to more than 200 units by the end of 2005, when systemwide sales reached approximately $220 million.
In the meantime, the company's core Jack in the Box chain in 2003 began revamping its menu to take it more upscale and make it more appealing to women and older men, thus widening the target customer base beyond the chain's stronghold of 18- to 34-year-old males. Entrée salads and what was thought to be the fast-food industry's first turkey burger successfully debuted in 2003, and two years later a very popular line of sandwiches featuring ciabatta bread was introduced. While adding these high-end items, the chain retained many of its lower-priced items and special deals, creating a two-tiered menu that appealed to a broader range of customers. Jack in the Box also launched an effort to improve the level and consistency of its customer service and began rolling out a renovation program aimed at overhauling the chain's outlets to include a more contemporary design featuring ceramic tile floors, a mix of seating styles, and flat-screen televisions. These efforts were spearheaded by Nugent with a great deal of help from his second-in-command, Linda A. Lang, who had been promoted from executive vice-president of marketing to president and COO in late 2003. Nugent retired in October 2005. Lang succeeded him as chairman and CEO and carried on what the company called its "brand reinvention." In the meantime, the 2,000th Jack in the Box opened in 2004, though the growth of the chain had been slowed and the southeastern push placed on hold in favor of building the strength of the existing sites.
By 2006, Jack in the Box was on a clear and sustained roll. For the fiscal year, the company saw its revenues increase more than 10 percent to a record $2.77 billion, while same-store sales for the chain jumped nearly 5 percent. Profits hit a record as well, at $108 million, while the company's stock shot up during the year, from $29.91 per share to $52.18. In addition to maintaining a steady rollout of new premium menu items, such as the Chipotle Chicken Ciabatta, Jack in the Box continued its refranchising program, and by the end of fiscal 2006 had increased the percentage of Jack in the Box outlets that were franchised to nearly 30 percent. The firm aimed to boost that percentage by 5 percent each year. For fiscal 2007, 40 to 45 new Jack in the Box units were slated to open, while the Qdoba chain continued to expand at a more rapid clip, with 80 to 90 new units planned. Also ongoing was the remodeling of the Jack in the Box chain, which entailed around 200 makeovers during the year. Sales were up strongly during the first half of fiscal 2007. A key factor again were menu innovations, including the 100 percent Sirloin Burger, touted as the first such offering from a major fast-food chain.
Principal Subsidiaries
Qdoba Restaurant Corporation.
Principal Operating Units
Jack in the Box.
Principal Competitors
McDonald's Corporation; Burger King Holdings, Inc.; Wendy's International, Inc.; CKE Restaurants, Inc.; YUM! Brands, Inc.; Doctor's Associates Inc.
Further Reading
Ablan, Jennifer, "Jack's Juicy Situation," Barron's, April 10, 2006, pp. 19-20.
Alva, Marilyn, "Foodmaker Set to Turn Its Back on Wall Street," Nation's Restaurant News, September 12, 1988, p. 1.
Brooks, Steve, "The Long Road Back," Restaurant Business, May 20, 1994, pp. 44+.
Crabtree, Penni, "Fast-Food Chain Tops Earnings Estimate," San Diego Union-Tribune, February 22, 2007, p. C1.
Farrell, Kevin, "Jack Goodall, Chairman, CEO, Foodmaker Inc.," Restaurant Business, May 1, 1990, p. 162.
"Foodmaker Gives Up Stake in FRI to Apollo," Nation's Restaurant News, January 8, 1996, p. 12.
"Foodmaker, Inc.," Barron's, February 15, 1988, p. 88.
"Foodmaker Plans Foreign Expansion," Nation's Restaurant News, October 12, 1992, p. 14.
"Foodmaker Settles Claim from 1st of 4 E. Coli Deaths," Nation's Restaurant News, February 28, 1994, p. 18.
Garber, Amy, "Jack in the Box Springs Plan for Rollout of JBX Concept," Nation's Restaurant News, September 27, 2004, pp. 1, 11, 46.
Goff, Robert, "Coming Clean," Forbes, May 17, 1999, pp. 156, 160.
Green, Frank, "Going Outside the Box," San Diego Union-Tribune, April 2, 2004, p. C1.
------, "Jack Enters Fast-Casual Dining Scene: San Diego Firm Acquires Qdoba Mexican Grill Chain," San Diego Union-Tribune, January 22, 2003, p. C1.
------, "Jack in the Box Is Jumpin': CEO Linda Lang Helped to Fashion Diversified Menu That's Paying Off Big," San Diego Union-Tribune, October 1, 2006, p. H1.
Grover, Ronald, "Jack in the Box Pops Out of Its Shell," Business Week, December 13, 1999, p. 143.
Hamstra, Mark, "Robert J. Nugent: Bringing Jack in the Box Back As a Major Segment Contributor," Nation's Restaurant News, September 14, 1998, pp. 218, 220.
Howard, Theresa, "Public Offerings to Slash Foodmaker's Debt Costs," Nation's Restaurant News, December 23, 1991, p. 14.
"Jack-in-the-Box Says Acquisition Would End Any Interest Conflict," Wall Street Journal, May 9, 1967, p. 23.
Jennings, Lisa, "Jack in the Box Abandons JBX Grill Expansion Plan," Nation's Restaurant News, October 3, 2005, pp. 4, 89.
Kramer, Louise, "Jack in the Box Back on the Expansion Track," Nation's Restaurant News, August 26, 1996, pp. 3, 4.
Laing, Rachel, "Jack's CEO to Hang Up His Spatula," San Diego Union-Tribune, May 3, 2005, p. C1.
Leung, Shirley, and Alexei Barrionuevo, "Fast-Food Chain Makes a Move Out of the 'Box,'" Wall Street Journal, October 19, 2002, p. B1.
Lockyer, Sarah E., "Premium Menu Items Drive Sales Jump at Jack in the Box," Nation's Restaurant News, May 28, 2007, p. 9.
Martin, Richard, "Foodmaker Revives 'Jack' to Aid Turnaround Efforts," Nation's Restaurant News, January 30, 1995, p. 20.
------, "Foodmaker Settles E. coli Contamination Lawsuit," Nation's Restaurant News, March 9, 1998, pp. 1, 74.
------, "Ralston Purina Cuts Its Ties to Food Service," Nation's Restaurant News, October 20, 1986, p. 3.
Papiernik, Richard L., "Chi-Chi's Sale, New Ads Fail to Cure Foodmaker's Woes," Nation's Restaurant News, May 1, 1995, p. 14.
Peters, James, "Slumping Economy Doesn't Deter Jack in the Box Expansion Plans," Nation's Restaurant News, November 19, 2001, pp. 8, 66.
"Prospects Are Popping at Jack-in-the-Box," Investment Dealers' Digest, April 25, 1966, p. 34.
"Ralston Purina Agrees to Acquire Foodmaker," Wall Street Journal, January 9, 1968, p. 32.
Saxton, Lisa, "Jack-in-the-Box Parent Files Suit Against Vons," Supermarket News, February 15, 1993, p. 29.
Slatter, John, "Skeleton at the Feast?" Barron's, October 3, 1966, p. 11.
Spector, Amy, "Jack in the Box Buys Qdoba," Nation's Restaurant News, February 3, 2003, pp. 1, 77.
------, "Southeastern Market Foray Debuts New House That Jack Built," Nation's Restaurant News, October 25, 1999, pp. 1, 6.
Spielberg, Susan, "Jack in the Box Brand Renovation Could Aim to Tap Fast-Casual Allure," Nation's Restaurant News, September 29, 2003, pp. 1, 8.
------, "Jack's Profits Soar As Turkey Burger Takes Off; Lang Named Prexy," Nation's Restaurant News, November 24, 2003, pp. 4, 6.
Veverka, Mark, "Savvy Helps Jack in the Box Weather Crisis," Wall Street Journal (California ed.), August 6, 1997, p. CA1.
Warner, Rick Van, "Foodmaker Wins Chi-Chi's: $230M Deal Spawns Powerful New Company," Nation's Restaurant News, March 7, 1988, p. 1.
— Jeffrey L. Covell; Updated by David E. Salamie
| Wikipedia: Jack in the Box |
| Type | Public (NASDAQ: JACK) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1951 |
| Headquarters | San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Key people | Linda A. Lang, CEO & Chairwoman Robert Oscar Peterson, founder Jack, Fictional CEO and fictional founder |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Products | Fast food (including hamburgers, French fries, and milkshakes) |
| Employees | 42,500 (2008)[1] |
| Website | www.jackinthebox.com |
Jack in the Box (NASDAQ: JACK) is an American fast-food restaurant founded in 1951 in San Diego, California, where it is still headquartered today. In total, the chain has 2,100 locations; primarily serving the West Coast of the United States. Most of the outlets are in California (900), followed by Texas (560), Arizona (165), and Washington (132).[2] The company also operates the Qdoba Mexican Grill chain.[3][4]
Contents |
Jack in the Box competes primarily with other major national fast-food chains such as McDonald's, Yum! Brands (Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken), and Wendy's. Food items include the Jumbo Jack, Potato Wedges, and Ultimate Cheeseburger. The Ultimate Cheeseburger won the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 Golden Icon Awards for "Best Burger"; the Golden Icon Awards are presented annually by Travolta Family Entertainment.
Jack in the Box also offers an American version of ethnic cuisine - such as egg rolls and tacos, along with breakfast burritos. New items come in on a rotation every three to four months, including the Philly Cheesesteak and the deli style pannidos (deli trio, ham & turkey, zesty turkey) which were replaced by Jack's ciabatta burger and included the original ciabatta burger and the bacon n' cheese ciabatta. Jack in the Box also carries seasonal items such as pumpkin pie shakes, Oreo mint shakes, and eggnog shakes during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. In locations in Hawaii, local delicacies are a regular part of the menu. They include the Paniolo Breakfast (Portuguese sausage, eggs, and rice platter) and teriyaki chicken and rice bowl. In the Southern United States, the company offers biscuits and sweet tea. In the spring of 2007 Jack in the Box also introduced its sirloin burger and followed this up with recently the sirloin steak melt. Its more recent foray into the deli market was the less-popular Ultimate Club Sandwich which was initially removed in Arizona due to poor sales and has since been phased out at all locations.
Many Jack in the Box locations are freestanding, while others may be attached to some filling station service centers or at shopping malls and centers. Most Jack in the Box locations serve the entire menu, including breakfast, during all operational hours, and many Jack in the Box locations are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Robert O. Peterson already owned several successful restaurants when he opened Topsy's Drive-In at 63rd and El Cajon Blvd in San Diego in 1941. Like most "burger joints" of its time, Topsy's offered carhop service, but it also had a drive-through window so that customers never had to leave their cars. Some sources[who?] cite this as the first restaurant with a drive-through window. Several more Topsy's were opened and eventually renamed Oscar's (after Peterson's middle name), and 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.
Peterson's holding company was called Foodmaker Company, which by 1966 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. By 1966 there were over 180 locations, mainly in California and the Southwest.
In 1968, Peterson sold Foodmaker to Ralston Purina Company. In the 1970s Foodmaker led the Jack in the Box chain toward its most prolific growth (television commercials in the early 1970s featured child actor Rodney Allen Rippy), and locations began to be franchised. As the decade progressed, the chain began to increasingly resemble its larger competitors, particularly the industry giant, McDonald's. Jack in the Box began to struggle during the latter part of the decade, and its expansion into East Coast markets was at first cut back from original estimates, then halted altogether. By the end of the decade, Jack in the Box restaurants were being put up for sale in increasing numbers, forcing Foodmaker to respond quickly to turn the chain around.
As a result, around 1980, Foodmaker dramatically altered Jack in the Box's marketing strategy by literally blowing up the chain's symbol, the jack in the box, which dated back to the early San Diego days, in television commercials with the tagline, "The food is better at the Box".[5] Jack in the Box announced that it would no longer compete for McDonald's target customer base of families with young children. Instead, Foodmaker would attempt to attract older, more affluent "yuppie" customers with a higher-quality, more upscale menu. Jack in the Box restaurants were remodeled and redecorated with decorator pastel colors and hanging plants. Television advertising from about 1985 onward featured minimalistic music performed by a small chamber-like ensemble (specifically a distinctive seven-note plucked musical signature). The menu, which was previously focused on hamburgers led by the flagship Jumbo Jack, became much more diverse, including such items as salads, tacos and chicken sandwiches (at least two new menu items were introduced per year), at a time when few fast-food operations offered more than standard hamburgers. Annual sales increased through the 1980's. Ralston Purina tried further to mature the restaurant's image, renaming it "Monterey Jack's" in 1985, a disastrous move that lasted a short time. The Jack in the Box name was restored in 1986.
Ralston Purina was satisfied with Foodmaker, but decided in 1985 that it was a non-core asset and elected to sell it to management after 18 years. By 1987 sales reached $655 million, the chain boasted 897 restaurants, and Foodmaker became a publicly traded company.
However, Jack in the Box's success came to a halt in the 1990's because of two main factors: 1) the national recession of 1990-91 (the company suffered an 81 percent decline in net earnings in 1991) and more importantly, the E. coli epidemic of 1993: Four children died and hundreds of others became sick in the Seattle area as well as California, Idaho and Nevada, after eating undercooked and contaminated meat from Jack in the Box. It was the largest and deadliest E. coli outbreak in American history up to that time.
The chain lost millions of dollars in sales and revenue as a result of the disaster, and millions were paid out as settlements in wrongful death lawsuits. Moody's Investors Service downgraded Foodmaker's debt to junk status as it had no confidence that sales would return to normal levels. Bankruptcy was imminent. With the very survival of the company at stake, Foodmaker needed another turnaround strategy to distance themselves from the E. coli scare.
They got it from a new ad campaign developed by an advertising agency from Santa Monica, California, called Secret Weapon Marketing, led by Dick Sittig, as detailed below.[6] [7]
In 1999, the official corporate name of Jack in the Box was renamed simply "Jack in the Box, Inc." to fit its core brand, and the Foodmaker, Inc. name was retired.
In early 2004, Jack in the Box Inc. introduced its new "fast casual" restaurant, JBX Grill. By 2006, however, Jack in the Box canceled the JBX Grill idea, reverting all JBX Grills back into original Jack in the Box stores. This was due to poor sales, and it allowed them to focus on core expansion.
In May 2006, the CEO Jack character launched his own MySpace profile, complete with a fictional biography.
The restaurant rebounded in popularity in the mid-1990s, after a highly successful marketing campaign that featured the fictitious Jack in the Box CEO "Jack" character (voiced by the campaign's creator, Santa Monica advertising executive Dick Sittig), who has a ping pong ball-like head and is dressed in a business suit.
Jack was reintroduced specifically to signal the new direction the company was taking to refocus and regroup after the E. coli disaster. In the original 1994 spot, Jack ("through the miracle of plastic surgery", he says as he confidently strides into the office building) reclaims his rightful role as CEO, and, apparently as revenge for being blown up in 1980, approaches the closed doors of the Jack in the Box boardroom (a fictionalized version, shown while the aforementioned minimalist theme music from the 1980s Jack in the Box commercials plays), activates a detonation device, and the boardroom explodes in a dramatic, hilarious (and controversial) shower of smoke, wood and paper. The spot ends with a closeup shot of a small white paper bag, presumably filled with freshly (and safely) prepared Jack in the Box food, dropping forcefully onto a table; the bag is printed with the words "Jack's Back" in bold red print.
The violent boardroom detonation angered many at the time, as it occurred at nearly the same time as several real-life domestic bombings hitting the news in those days (see Oklahoma City bombing). But Sittig and Jack in the Box management stuck by the new campaign. Their intent was to prove to a wary public that the company was no longer the same restaurant chain plagued by the food safety scandal, and because the commercials had a definite humorous element to them that undermined the alleged "retribution" that Jack was supposedly demonstrating in these commercials and overall, the public responded positively.
The commercials in the now almost 15-year-strong "Jack's Back" campaign (which has won several advertising industry awards) tend to be lightly humorous and often involve Jack making business decisions about the restaurant chain's food products, or out in the field getting ideas for new menu items. In addition, many commercials have advertised free car antenna balls with every meal, thus increasing brand awareness. Often different types of antenna balls will be available if a holiday or major event is approaching. The antenna balls are so popular that they can be found on many cars in areas not served by Jack in the Box restaurants. Brand loyalty, especially since the "Jack" ad campaign began, is such that people who grew up in, and/or previously lived in areas with Jack in the Box locations often frequent the restaurants (when they are able to find them) located in a new city to which they have moved.
During the height of the now-defunct XFL, one of the continuing ad series involved a fictitious professional American football team owned by Jack. The team, called the Carnivores, played against teams such as the Tofu Eaters and the Vegans.
Another ad circa 2000 involved a man washed up on a remote island with only a Jack in the Box antenna ball as company. Later that year an aspiring director claiming the agency had appropriated his idea for the ad had his lawsuit against the ad agency thrown out; in fact, his sample ad had appropriated the campaign's already existing character, logo, and ending images (the dropping of paper bags) without permission.
The Meaty Cheesy Boys, a mock boy band, were created during an ad campaign featuring an out-of-control advertising executive previously fired by Jack. The same ad exec featured in a spot where a medical doctor made exaggerated claims of the benefits of fast food that it would cure baldness, help trim extra pounds, and remove wrinkles. Jack asks the ad exec incredulously, "Where did you find this guy?" The ad exec responds proudly, "Tobacco company."
In April 2006, Jack in the Box launched an ad campaign called Bread is Back,[8] taking a stab at the low carbohydrate diets of recent years. Also, the commercials aired in states far away from a Jack in the Box location.
In 2006, Jack in the Box took use of this perception creating a commercial featuring a typical stoner who is indecisive about ordering. When faced with a decision, the Jack in the Box figurine in his car tells him to "stick to the classics" and order 30 tacos implying that he has the "munchies".[9] This ad later stirred up controversy among a San Diego teen group who claimed that the ad was irresponsible showing a teenager who was under the influence of drugs. To protest, they presented the company with 2000 postcards protesting the ad, despite the fact that it had not aired since the beginning of the previous month. This commercial was redone in 2009 to feature the new logo and the new Campaign.
Another ad touting the chain's milk shakes aired circa 2003 and was shot in the stilted style of a 1970s-era anti-drug spot, urging kids to "say no to fake shakes" and featured "Larry The Crime Donkey," a parody of McGruff the Crime Dog.
In 2007, Jack in the Box began a commercial campaign for their new 100% sirloin beef hamburgers, implying that they were of higher quality than the Angus beef used by Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Wendy's, and Burger King. That May, CKE Restaurants, Inc., the parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, filed a lawsuit against Jack in the Box, Inc. CKE claimed, among other things, that the commercials tried to give the impression that Carl's Jr./Hardee's Angus beef hamburgers contained cow anuses by having an actor swirl his finger in the air in a circle while saying "Angus" in one commercial and having other people in the second commercial laugh when the word "Angus" was mentioned. They also attacked Jack in the Box's claim that sirloin, a cut found on all cattle, was of higher quality than Angus beef, which is a breed of cattle.[10]
During Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009, a commercial depicted Jack in a Casket after getting hit by a bus. The closing shot encouraged viewers to visit www.hangintherejack.com. At the same website, one can view different videos that speak of Jack's condition. These videos include a cell phone video of Jack's accident. Also, previously run commercials of Jack include a disclaimer that reads "Recorded before Jack's accident." After a month in a coma, Jack woke up when his second-in-command, Phil, thinking Jack wasn't aware yet, revealed he was changing the name of the chain to "Phil in the Box". This woke Jack up, and he began to strangle Phil ("PHIL IN THE BOX?! I DON'T THINK SO! SOMEBODY FIND MY PANTS; I GOT WORK TO DO!").
Shortly after the "awakening", it was revealed that the corporate website would be relaunched, and the company would get a new logo, on March 16, 2009.
As mentioned above, in 1993, Jack in the Box suffered a major corporate crisis involving E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. Four children died of hemolytic uremic syndrome and 600 others were reported sick after eating undercooked patties contaminated with fecal material containing the bacteria at locations in the Seattle area and other parts of the Pacific Northwest. The chain was faced with several lawsuits, each of which was quickly settled (but left the chain nearly bankrupt and losing customers). At the time, Washington state law required that hamburgers be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 155 °F (68 °C), the temperature necessary to kill E. coli bacteria, although the FDA requirement at that time was only 140 °F (60 °C), which was the temperature Jack in the Box cooked. After the incident, Jack in the Box mandated that in all nationwide locations, their hamburgers be cooked to at least 155 °F (68 °C).[11][12][13] Additionally, all meat products produced in the United States are required to comply with HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) regulations. Every company that produces meat products is required to have a HACCP plan that is followed continuously.
In 2005–2006, Jack in the Box Inc. announced plans for nationwide expansion by 2010. As part of the initiative, they are entering new markets as well as returning to markets where they had a presence in past years, but subsequently withdrew from.
In support of this objective, the chain has begun airing ads in states several hundred miles from the nearest location. This is similar to a strategy that has been used for years by Sonic Drive-In in its national expansion efforts.
Currently the strategy is targeted at Colorado and Texas. On November 12, 2007, the first new Colorado store opened in Golden, marking an end to Jack in the Box's 11-year-long hiatus from Colorado.[14] Previous Denver Metro restaurant locations were the intersections of Leetsdale and Quebec, Colorado Blvd. and 6th Ave, and Broadway Blvd. and Evans Blvd.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, several locations were confirmed to open in June 2009.[15] Jack in the Box restaurants last made an appearance in the Albuquerque market approximately two decades ago.[16]
New Texas stores are located in Midland, Odessa, Abilene, Wichita Falls and San Angelo.
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| Translations: Jack-in-the-box |
Dansk (Danish)
n. - trold i en æske
Nederlands (Dutch)
duiveltje in een doosje
Français (French)
n. - diable à ressort, boîte à surprise(s)
Deutsch (German)
n. - Schachtelteufel, Kastenteufel
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - φασουλής που εκτινάσσεται από κουτί
Italiano (Italian)
scatola con fantoccio a molla
Português (Portuguese)
n. - caixa (f) de surpresas
Русский (Russian)
чертик из табакерки
Español (Spanish)
n. - muñeco de resorte en caja de sorpresa
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - gubben i lådan
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
玩偶匣
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 玩偶匣
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 열면 인형 등이 튀어 나오게 되어 있는 상자 , 불꽃의 일종
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ヤドカリ, びっくり箱
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) صندوق صغير به دميه تقفز بزنبرك عند فتح الغطاء
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - בובה קופצת, קופסת צעצוע
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