Fast-food chain Jack in the Box will return to the Chicago area next year, the company told the Tribune.
The San Diego-based company started expanding in the area in the late 1960s but exited it in the 1980s, CEO Darin Harris said in an interview with the Tribune. “It’s been about 40 to 50 years since our last time in Chicago,” he said.
Jack in the Box plans to open eight company-owned stores in the area, mostly in the suburbs. A Chicago proper restaurant will be located near Midway Airport, the company said.
The suburban locations are slated to open in Countryside, Lake in the Hills, Tinley Park, Carol Stream, Naperville, Plainfield and New Lenox mostly next year, though some openings may bleed into 2026. Jack in the Box also plans to open franchise-owned stores in the area; nationally, 93% of its stores are franchises.
Harris cited a strong economy and a significant 24-hour workforce that will feed the chain’s late-night business as part of the Chicago market’s appeal. The company hopes to eventually open 125 stores in the area, Harris said. The chain, which currently has 2,200 locations across 22 states, is pursuing an aggressive expansion plan across the country and internationally. The company opened stores in Salt Lake City and Louisville last year and has plans to expand in Michigan, Florida, Arkansas, Montana, Wyoming and Georgia. The company has also opened locations in Mexico.
Same-store sales at Jack in the Box, which acquired California-based quick-service Mexican chain Del Taco in a deal announced in 2021, were down 2.5% last quarter, which Harris attributed to industrywide headwinds, including lower-income consumers pulling back from spending. The company hasn’t yet seen middle- and higher-income consumers trading down to Jack in the Box from more costly options, Harris said, though he said he expects to see that start to happen within the next year or so.
