Why Is It Called Jack in the Box?
Because the speaker you ordered into was a box with a clown’s head on top, like the children’s toy. In 1951 talking to a box was the whole selling point.
Ordering by speaker from your car is completely normal now. In 1951 it was a novelty, and the name was built around it.
The first Jack in the Box
Robert O. Peterson was already a restaurant man. He had opened a place called Topsy’s in San Diego in 1941 and later ran car hop drive ins called Oscar’s, where staff took orders at the car window.
On 21 February 1951 he converted a site on El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego into the first Jack in the Box. The difference was the ordering system. Instead of a car hop walking out, drivers spoke into a speaker before reaching the window, which cut waiting time and let the kitchen start cooking sooner.
The day they blew up the clown
By the late 1970s the company wanted to appeal to adults with more money to spend, and the clown felt childish. So in 1980 Jack in the Box ran television ads in which the clown head was literally blown up, signaling a move to a more grown up menu.
The chain kept the name but dropped the character for more than a decade.
Jack comes back
In the fall of 1994 the company launched its Jack’s Back campaign. The new Jack had the same round head as the old clown, now sitting on a man in a business suit, presented as the chain’s founder and chief executive. It was part of an effort to rebuild the brand after a 1993 food safety crisis, and it worked well enough that Jack has been the face of the chain ever since.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1941 | Robert O. Peterson opens Topsy’s in San Diego |
| 1951 | First Jack in the Box opens on El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego |
| 1968 | Peterson sells the company to Ralston Purina |
| 1980 | The clown head is blown up in a TV campaign |
| 1985 | Management buys the company back from Ralston Purina |
| 1994 | Jack returns as a businessman in the Jack’s Back campaign |
Is Jack in the Box named after a real Jack?
No. The founder was Robert Peterson, and there was never a real Jack behind the name. Jack is the character, first the clown on the speaker box and later the round headed businessman in the ads.
That is different from chains like Wendy’s, named after the founder’s daughter, as covered in why is it called Wendy’s. Who owns Jack in the Box today is covered in who owns Jack in the Box, and current prices are on the Jack in the Box menu.
Related Questions
Why is it called Jack in the Box?
Because customers ordered through an intercom speaker housed in a box topped with a clown’s head, like the jack in the box toy. The first restaurant opened in San Diego in 1951, and drivers were told to pull forward because Jack would speak to them.
Who founded Jack in the Box?
Robert O. Peterson, a San Diego restaurant owner who had earlier run Topsy’s and a chain of car hop drive ins called Oscar’s. He opened the first Jack in the Box on El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego on 21 February 1951.
Was there a real Jack?
No. Jack is a character, not a person. He started as the clown head on the ordering speaker and returned in 1994 as a round headed businessman presented as the chain’s founder in its advertising.
Why did Jack in the Box blow up the clown?
In 1980 the company wanted to attract adult customers with a more grown up menu, and the clown felt childish. It ran TV ads showing the clown head being blown up to mark the change.
When did Jack come back as the mascot?
In the fall of 1994, with the Jack’s Back campaign. The new Jack kept the round head but wore a business suit, and he has been the face of the chain ever since.
Where was the first Jack in the Box?
On El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego, California. It opened on 21 February 1951, and the company is still headquartered in San Diego.
More on Jack in the Box
About this guide. USA Food Menu is an independent reference site and is not affiliated with Jack in the Box. History details come from published company histories and food press. Current prices and calories are on the Jack in the Box menu.
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