Jack In The Box To Open 3 More Northern Illinois Locations

In the interests of full disclosure, I'll have to admit that I have never eaten at a Jack-in-the-Box restaurant. I've never had their food, and really don't know much about what makes them popular. Plus, the last one in the Chicago and Chicagoland area closed back in 1980, so it would have about 45 years since my last visit, assuming that I had gone at all.

What I have learned is that Jack-in-the-Box (the first store opened in San Diego in 1951) pioneered a concept that every single fast food drive-thru (and even many fast casual restaurants) uses every single day in every single city in every state:

The drive-thru two-way intercom.

The idea of a drive-thru wasn't a new concept, but Robert O. Peterson, the founder of Jack-in-the-Box, revolutionized it by adding a two-way intercom for direct contact between the kitchen and the customer. It was incredibly successful, and became an industry standard.

Jack-in-the-Box also was the first fast-food restaurant to serve breakfast sandwiches (1969) and portable salads (1982).

As Of April Of This Year, Jack-In-The-Box Had Around 2,200 Locations In 22 States, Mostly On The West Coast--But The Chain Is Not Only Planning On Expanding, They're Doing It

According to published reports, that expansion will result in new Jack-in-the-Box restaurants being built in Florida (they've never had Jack-in-the-Box there), Arkansas, Wyoming, Montana, Michigan, and right here in the northern part of Illinois where we've been Jack-less for over 40 years.

Right around one year ago, Jack in the Box announced plans to return to the Chicagoland area for the first time in four decades with eight company-operated units, and they've already started making good on that announcement with newly-opened locations in Countryside and Plainfield.

And, according to their website, three new suburban Jack in the Box locations are going to open their doors this month in Lake in the Hills, Naperville and Tinley Park.

But Wait, There's More...

In addition to the three new locations opening this month, the Jack in the Box website has three more locations scheduled to open in the month of September:

• Carol Stream: 441 E. Geneva Rd., opening September 2025
• Chicago: 7807 S. Cicero Ave., opening September 2025
• New Lenox: 672 E. Lincoln Hwy., opening September 2025