Jack on the Chopping Block
Jack in the Box is trimming the fat by closing up to 200 underperforming locations nationwide and potentially selling the Del Taco brand it acquired three years ago.
Here is everything you need to know about the changes.
Smith Collection/Gado / Getty
Jack in the Box is trimming the fat by closing up to 200 underperforming locations nationwide and potentially selling the Del Taco brand it acquired three years ago.
Here is everything you need to know about the changes.
In a statement released Wednesday, the San Diego-based company confirmed it plans to shut down 150 to 200 underperforming locations of its 2,200 restaurants across 22 states, under a new “block closure program.”
According to the company, 80 to 120 closures will happen by the end of 2025, with the rest tied to franchise agreement end dates. Most of the locations getting axed have “been in the system for over three decades.”
The closures are part of what the company is calling its “JACK on Track” plan—an overhaul aimed at improving long-term financial performance, reducing debt, and shifting to a leaner, “asset-light” model. CEO Lance Tucker, who took over on March 31, said the company is focused on “a return to simplicity.”
“Jack in the Box operates at its best, and maximizes shareholder return potential, within a simplified and asset-light business model,” Tucker said.
Jack in the Box also announced it’s exploring “strategic alternatives” for Del Taco — the corporate phrase for “maybe we sell it, maybe we don’t.” They’ve hired BofA Securities to run the process, and a sale is on the table.
Just three years after acquiring the brand for $585 million, the company seems ready to let go if the price is right. And for now, any financial forecasting for Del Taco is on ice — the company said all guidance “will be suspended indefinitely.”
The company also released early Q2 2025 numbers that paint a rough picture. Same-store sales dropped 4.4% at Jack in the Box and 3.6% at Del Taco, while EBITDA came in between $66 and $68 million. They closed 12 Jack in the Box and 4 Del Taco locations during the quarter.