Jack in the Box eyeing Lakeland location
Hamburger lovers could get another choice following the recent announcement that west coast fast food chain Jack in the Box is searching for a location in Lakeland.
“At the moment, there isn’t a franchise agreement for the Lakeland area,” said an email from a spokeswoman for Jack in the Box. “However, the brand is looking to identify and align with qualified restaurant franchise investors to make its debut in Lakeland.”
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The restaurant chain announced that it plans to open franchises in several Florida cities, including Tampa and Orlando, a press release said. In all, the company plans to open 14 restaurants in both Florida and Arkansas as part of a nationwide expansion. This was the first time the brand has entered the Arkansas market, and over 30 years since it was last in Florida.
In addition to Lakeland, the company is interested in the following cities in Florida: Miami, Miami Gardens, Hialeah, Pembroke Pines, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Miramar, Davie, Planation, Sunrise, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Coral Springs, Jacksonville, Port St. Lucie, Deltona, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Gainesville, Palm Bay, St. Petersburg, West Palm Beach, and Clearwater.
So far, only the Orlando franchisee has been identified.
“Through my travels to the West Coast, I fell in love with the Jack in the Box brand,” said Jonathan Peralta, Orlando franchisee. “After returning home, I read that Jack in the Box was looking to expand in the Florida market, and I knew that was our sign.”
The company’s executives were equally excited.
“We’re excited to see the brand’s continued expansion into new cities and states across the country, as both of these groups bring tremendous experience to the Jack in the Box franchise system and are the perfect franchisees to open these new markets,” said Tim Linderman, chief development officer. “These signings come on the heels of another recent 37-store development agreement with new franchisees, which speaks to the tremendous value of the Jack in the Box system to new franchise operators who want to bring a proven concept into their markets.”
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Jack in the Box sells its signature burgers topped with cheese or bacon or both, as well as chicken and breakfast items. But there are also chicken, all-day breakfast and loaded or tiny tacos on the menu. Popcorn chicken, chicken strips and several chicken sandwiches offerings such as spicy, ranch and grilled.
Its sides dishes offer loaded fries and onion rings, as well as some items not so typical for a burger place, including egg rolls and stuffed jalapenos.
Even its deserts offer a touch of Mexican fare with mini churros, or more traditional milk shakes, New York cheesecake, chocolate overload cake.
The first Jack in the Box opened in the early 1950s in San Diego complete with a drive-thru. Founder Robert Oscar Peterson sold the company to Ralston-Purina in 1968. It was sold again and became a publicly traded company in the late 1980s.
But not before Ralston-Purina closed or sold all 279 Jack in the Box locations in the South East In July 1979, which reduced its units in operation at the time by 25%, according to the BurgerBeast website.
In addition, all Florida locations in Bradenton, Orlando, St. Peterburg, Sanford, Tallahassee and Tampa were closed in 1980, the website said.
Last year, the company bought Del Taco, which has been opening locations in Florida. Jack in the Box has more than 2,000 restaurants in 21 states, mostly in the Western U.S.
While Jack in the Box is best known for its burgers, in 1993 the company was at the center of a deadly E. coli outbreak that killed four children and sickened more than 700 others across four states.
Paul Nutcher can be reached at pnutcher@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Jack in the Box eyeing Lakeland franchise location
