{"id":46290,"date":"2024-06-06T15:54:20","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T19:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=46290"},"modified":"2024-06-06T15:55:18","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T19:55:18","slug":"jack-in-the-box-is-expanding-into-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2024\/06\/06\/jack-in-the-box-is-expanding-into-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack in the Box is expanding into Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After over 40 years away, the iconic 24-hour fast-food place Jack in the Box<\/a> is coming back to Florida in a big way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The popular restaurant chain poked its big round white head back into the Sunshine State last year, announcing plans to return<\/a>. On Monday, the California-based company announced five more franchises coming to Tallahassee and 10 in Orlando.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cExpanding into Florida, one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing states, aligns perfectly with our strategic plan for the Southeast,\u201d Tim Linderman, chief development officer, said in a release<\/a>. \u201cWe’re thrilled to bring our iconic brand to Tallahassee, our next new market, and further develop our presence in Orlando.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. Here’s what you need to know before you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Jack in the Box founder pioneered the drive-thru<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’ve ever pulled through a drive-thru to grab a bite, you should thank Jack in the Box and its founder, Robert O. Peterson<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. But according to Mashed<\/a>, in 1951 Peterson decided to try something new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It did pretty well. Peterson quickly converted all his other restaurants into Jack in the Box locations (Jacks in the Box? Jack in the Boxes?). In-N-Out burger joints<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack in the Box was also the first fast food service to offer breakfast sandwiches and salads-to-go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever they’re doing, it seems to be working. Despite some serious setbacks (see below), the company made over $4 billion dollars in 2022 according to QSR Magazine<\/a>, putting them right behind Dairy Queen and Arby’s and just above Papa Johns and Little Caeser’s. In 2021, they bought another popular chain<\/a>, Del Taco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack in the Box has a wide-ranging menu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. In 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported that Americans were eating 554 million Jack in the Box tacos every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a> Jack in the Box has offered at one time or another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, the lineup includes hamburgers and cheeseburgers, all kinds of fries (regular, curly and “spicy triple cheese and bacon sauced and loaded fries”), onion rings, all kinds of fried chicken (strips and poppers), egg rolls, hard-shell tacos, stuffed jalapenos, various salads, breakfast burritos, sausage croissants, milkshakes and mini churros. and more. Breakfast is famously served all day and at night you can Build Your Own Munchie Meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some regional Jack in the Box locations also offer items appealing to their local customers. Hawaiian locations get spam platters and a Paniolo Breakfast. Locations near Imperial County, California, known for its date crops, get Date Ice Cream shakes. Here in the South we get biscuits and sweet tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack in the Box has a secret menu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several things you can get if you know what to order. According to cozymeal.com<\/a>, Jack in the Box secret menu items currently include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n