How Jack in the Box Bounced Back From A Deadly Scandal 

I literally lived off Jack in the Box in my early 20's. Border line homeless, $2 for a burger, 2 tacos, and a water was living like a king compared to eating raman noodles.

When they blew up Jack , professional clowns rose up in arms. They organized into a protest group called JACK: Jesters Against Clown Killing.

Former Jack in the Box Restaurant Tech Support employee in the corporate HQ, and man, they believe in the food. There was never a moment where a Jack sandwich wasn't more than a few feet away from me, and they encouraged eating in your cubicle.

Jack In the Box's Commercials are Legendary

Everybody says taco bell is stoner food, but jack teamed up with Snoop Dogg.

7:47 I can tell you EXACTLY why their burgers were undercooked. Shortly before the E Coli issue, JIB had changed to a *new and improved" Jumbo Jack. It was the same weight, but smaller in diameter and therefore thicker. The old patty took 2 minutes to cook, the new one took FIVE. But there was no change to the expectations of "move time" getting people through the drive-through. So, inevitably, grill cooks would have rushed the cooking process to maintain speed of car moves. On the plus side, the less well-done burger was indeed juicier and tastier. And we did have a device called a "tender press" to speed up the process, but it also produced a drier patty, so we tried to avoid using them unless necessary. I LIVED through those days as a shift leader/assistant manager, and I quit the day we started the "new dinner" menu after they blew up Jack (although not due to the menu change, that was coincidence - I was caught up unwillingly into a drama sequence regarding our store manager having an extramarital affair with the District Manager). Ah, good times (/sarcasm)....

As someone who has moved to the southeast I REALLY miss Jack in the Box. On vacation I took my husband to one. After eating there he wondered WHY in the world there are none here. It’s the only place where you can get a taco, egg rolls and curly fries at one place!

Locally, when the kangaroo meat scandal happened, we started calling them *"Joey·in·the·Box!"*

Lived in CA until age 11 and have been in TX for 25 years now, I'm just used to seeing Jack my whole life. It's hard to imagine that not everybody in the US knows about it or has it. Don't eat there much anymore but man those tacos are good, so is the Sourdough Jack.

I am one of the many people who contracted HUS after eating there in 1992 (years old at the time). I lost my kidneys to the disease. I had to go on dialysis until I received a new one from my dad when I was 6. I got diabetes and a ton more medical problems that I have to deal with for the rest of my life. My transplanted kidney lasted for 12 years until it rejected two days before my 18th birthday, and I had to go back on dialysis for another 12 years. Finally, in 2019, I received a pancreas and a new kidney. They are both currently doing great. I have not eaten there since 1992, and Jack in the Box refused to pay for my extremely high hospital bills and denied having anything to do with my illness. I haven't sued Jack in the Box. Yet...

About once a year I get nostalgic about the old Ciabatta burger and make my own at home

I'm glad the original narrator is back I enjoy listening to him in any of these videos

We had a Jack in the Box in Centereach, Long Island when I was a kid. My father played in bands and would be out til 2 or 3 in the morning. There were always Jack in the Box bags and wrappers on the table the next morning. Til this day, he still misses their tacos.

this channel is the highlight of my RU-vid consumption.

Worked at Jack In the Box in high school during the E.Coli incident. And hours got cut in like half. How did they really bounce back. (I mean aside from implementing safer meat cooking standards and burger presses to ensure fully cooked meat.) They had crazy sales to bring back customers. 3 tacos for .99 cents. Like 50 cent double cheeseburgers and 99 cent jumbo jacks. I never worked so hard in my life. People were coming in taking orders for 30,60,90,120 tacos back to back. I had blisters on my fingers from the hot oil making so many tacos. It was insane. Thank you customers who just said I want a box of frozen tacos to take home and cook later.

The ad where Jack got back at the executives was freaking hilarious

The one thing I miss not living in California is Jack in the Box at 3 am

JITB was the first fast food place I ate at after my family moved from Pittsburgh to San Diego in 1963. My father arrived about a year before the rest of us. The night we arrived he took us to a JITB drive-thru. Four year old me wasn't ready for that talking clown. head.

I worked at Burger King during the e.coli scandal. Due to it, they began sending a Whopper patty through the broiler and tested the temperature before lunch. If the temperature was too low, the broiler was adjusted and another patty was put through.

Jackinthebox tacos dipped in their ranch and taco sauce are my guilty drunk pleasure 🌮

Their deep fried frozen tacos and a whole bunch of taco sauce are quite literally the best and worst things you can do to yourself at 2 in the morning.

Definitely loving these fast food restaurant histories. As long as you keep making them I'll keep watching. Next I'm hoping for Applebees, Subway and Quiznos. Maybe the history of the famous Costco food court?

Jack in the Box was one of the last places Kurt Cobain was seen alive. R.I.P.

Rick Sittig (Siddig?) is the mad GENIUS behind the Jack is Back campaign, also doing Jack's voice in the spots. They jettisoned him a few years back (⁉️😡😲😲) which I do NOT understand at all. The Spicy Crispy Chicks were hot AF for reals, and their commercial was HILARIOUS ("You are SO fired!") 😂😂😂 And the Meaty Cheesy Boys were also frigging hysterical. They did a CD that JIB made available as a promo item, with an extended version of the Ultimate Cheeseburger song, along with a french fry song and a milkshake ditty. Talk about taking a concept and RUNNING with it....

The 1993 e. coli outbreak was a horror I won't forget. The little girl with the glasses is Brianne Kiner, and I was friends with her older sister. I remember all of us just waiting to hear she had passed and feeling so helpless and sad for the Kiners. They were some of the sweetest people ever and I was fond of all of them. Somehow Brianne came back and survived, but not without massive and permanent trauma to her and her family. I still won't eat at Jack in the Box.

"Have you ever eaten at a Jack in the Box" HELL YEAH BUDDY I lived on Jack for a year at a job I hated. The Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich saved my career.

THANK YOU SO MUCH WEIRD HISTORY! I am super excited you covered Jack In The Box! Although I do wish you had mentioned the 1970s Jack In The Box animated characters [including 70s era Jack himself] were voiced by Paul Winchell, the OG voice of Tigger and inventor of the artificial heart. A lot of fast food and food mascots are voiced by famous voice actors and I think that would be an amazing video idea [as long as Paul Winchell gets credited for the 70s era Jack In The Box characters, as well as Burger Chef]. I'm also still hoping that when you do a Domino's Pizza video, Donny Domino and Dottie Domino get mentioned, as they are pretty interesting [they co-existed with The Noid for a bit, including a Kool Aid comic], and there was a lawsuit [Ollie Vs Domino's Pizza Inc] over Donny Domino.

The first Jack in the Box in my town opened shortly before the e coli outbreak. It has been my favorite fast food joint since high school. Back then the drive thru was open 24 hours which was convenient for those late night "study" sessions. The one thing I miss the most are the antenna toppers. At least I still have the Christmas ornament.

In San Diego we get free jumbo jacks if the padres hit a home run the night before.

I moved to Tx as a kid, and we became Jack In The Box super fans when we started driving a decade later. This was a handful of years after the E.coli outbreak. The food was expensive, and the service was slow. And we didn’t care. Fast forward to now: I am about 3 hours away from the nearest Jack In The Box. I will find random excuses to drive to Nashville, and I always stop in.

I miss jack in the box. I'm from the west coast but moved to the mid west a few years ago. There aren't any here :(

Could you do a Weird History Food on Michelin Stars?

When we lived in Tucson, my wife and I worked at American Airlines. We worked a shift that got over at 1am. On our way home we'd stop at the Jack-In-The-Box near our apartment complex. We loved the Sourdough Bacon Jack.

Jack in the box scandal is why my 5th grade son dressed up as scariest thing possible" E.Coli H 157

I love this channel....and I love Jack! ❤

Customer: Wow, this is a good burger! Jack: Slaughtered that horse on tuesday, think she's startin' to turn.

Great to see the food video GOATs back at it again. This time with my personal favorite fast food.

A+ video LOVE IT! Such a great and cool restaurant! Hope that they will soon come to Nebraska!

2:34 When I lived in Arizona for six months, Jack in the box was the restaurant I went to the most. Whenever I go back to visit there, I try to make it to In-N-Out Burger and Jack in the Box.

I remember when jack in the box tacos were .99$, good times.

I lived in Washington State for 2 years right when the E. coli scandal happened and I remember it being all over the news. Then we moved to the east coast and I never had the chance to see Jack in the Box rehabilitate its image. To this day whenever someone mentions Jack in the Box the first thing I think of is the E coli outbreak and that's forever tainted the brand for me.

Oh man. This please hold a special place in my heart. This was the first ever fast food place I've ever eaten. I've had fish-and-chips there so many times there. And I loved it. That place hold the special place in my heart as a kid and around being a teenager. I also enjoyed it. And throughout being an adult, I haven't seen it in a long time. I've moved to Indiana years ago and I haven't seen that place in a long time. I just hope I can see that place again as a childhood friend

I have often wondered how they survived such problems.

I feel bad for people who never went west and had jack in the box. It’s by far the best and most creative major fast food chain. Only fast food I’ll eat.

My dad would never let us eat here because he was a long haul truck driver and the ONE time he ate here, he got food poisoning so bad he almost had to go to the hospital. I've heard of other people getting sick and actually having to go after eating here. I had friends who also refused to let their families eat at Jack in The Box after hearing the stories.

It’s awesome hear something cool that happened in your hometown I live in San Diego born and raised! I lived in El Cajon right next to family fun center or boomers it went by different names over the years until it closed down recently, but there’s a jack in the box down the street that’s still there. I go there all the time !

I remember back in the 1970's our dad would take us to Jack in the Box. His favorite was the Shrimp in a Box, and a vanilla shake. As kids we loved the Chicken in the Box. The Jumbo Jack was pretty big back then, not so big these days.

I actually interviewed the parents of one of the kids who passed away while I worked at the local college newspaper, the father was going to school there. Such a sad story.

Jack in the Box has really changed in the last few years. They took most of my favorite things off the menu :(

Man....that deep fried roo burrito Mr. Box sold on the late 70's-early 80's was fantastic

Recently opened up here in utah. Good food

One of my top 3 missed restaurants since I moved to the east coast but now I know why Jack blew up a sign back in the early 2000s

Ohhh... oh, it's a child's toy reference, not a serving suggestion. Oh, good.

My go to order is a jr. bacon cheeseburger, chicken sandwich, 2 tacos, hot sauce and buttermilk sauce (ranch). Pro tip: mix the two sauces together 😋 🤤

Their food is a mixed bag, but I have to say I've always thought they have some of the most entertaining commercials and the best mascot character in the fast food business.

I remember growing up my parents would take me and sister to the only Jack in the Box located in the Bronx on rare occasions. That location has long since closed down.

When it comes to fast food chains Jack in the Box is one of my favs. Even though I haven't been able to get it in a long time since I've lived on the East Coast for most of my life

This guy has the best narrator voice on RU-vid

Thanks for this! 🍟

I remember in grade 6 (2010-2011) we were watching something in health class and the e. Coli outbreak in '93 came up, showing footage of a JITB that I had eaten at and it's now my local JITB. I was in New Jersey in grade 6 and I ended up moving back to Washington after that school year, and I frequented JITB many times during high school after I got my license. Still a great place I like going to, even if their prices are a bit high.

Jack In The Box might come to my hometown of Lakeland, Florida soon!

I remember as a little kid hearing about the tainted meat deaths. It took 12 years to even go near their food again even though I was on other side of the country that had a different meat source.

I still love me some Jack in the Box.

Amazing story. What wasn't mentioned was the guy who came up with the Jack character and ad campaigns - and was even the voice of Jack in the TV commercials until a few years ago - was the same advertising genius who came up with the Energizer Bunny ad campaign that is now what, 40 years running? Pure genius..

JitB still has the best fast-food breakfast menu, especially their burritos and platters (and iced coffee during the warmer seasons). Love picking it up at 5AM on Sundays. 👍

The teriyaki bowl is so good. You wouldn’t think it would be but it’s definitely worth it

the jumbo jack for lunch while on the road in the 80s & 90s was my favorite with fries and a shake, around $2. it couldn't be beat.🍔

They were 1 of the better places to work for back in the day. Good food, good management. I used to make a tiny ultimate burger when I worked. 😁

I'm remembering my childhood in the 60s.....JitB was a real treat. We loved the talking clown. Then they decided to blow it up. Commercials scared a lot of kids in the last 70s. Kids feared it would blow up while they were in the drive up.

There’s two things I miss about the west coast after moving to nyc 3 years ago. Jack n the box and el pollo loco

I remember that e-coli outbreak for Jack in the Box. They had JUST built a new Jack in the Box in Medford Oregon then, and it was close to a computer store I used to go to, so I'd see it mostly empty. I was sure it was going to go out of business. But they survived somehow and I believe they are still open in that same location...

I got food poisoning in 1991 from a Jack in the Box in Houston. Ham and turkey melt, I will never forget the color and textures of the resulting street art. Good times.I

They have the World's Best worst Taco!! Love them!

As much as people complain about minimalism, i am glad that the mascot took on the snow cone look and veered further away from clown-looking.

According to what I've read, during the e. coli situation, the company was actually in compliance with federal regulations; it was the state regulations that they were in violation of.

Love their tacos, but, strangely, THEY ALSO HAVE EXCELLENT EGG ROLLS!

As a Canadian planning to visit the US next month, part of the trip plan is to visit a Jack in the Box!

JITB, me and my friends' go to place when we got the munchies.

I like Jack in the Box. I used to go there all the time when I lived in Dallas, Texas. I haven't been to one in a long time.

When I was a kid, we learned about what happened in Jack in the Box in school. I had never heard of them before since we don't have them here and I thought they went out of business. Imagine my surprise years later when I saw one.

I had no idea watching this would make me cherish the memory of seeing the 5$ footlong ads at a hotel and hearing my dad sing the jingle to wake me up, dad's still here thankfully but the cheap sandwiches are no more...

Jack in the Box has always been solid to me and I didn’t even know about their scandals 😮

I don't know if this is too niche but the thing I always think of with Jack in the Box are the car antenna balls. I just remember always liking them and wanting to collect them, but then we moved from the West Coast.

TIL Jack is undead. I've secretly always been curious of what kangaroo, emu, and ostrich taste like.

I miss jack in the box! Our nearest one is 2 states away compared to when I lived in CA

In high school there was a Jack in the Box down the street fron my church, I had to go for morning lessons or something, but they do that bbq bacon cheeseburger every now and then and I literally got so sick eating those things. I'd get them for breakfast and then go to the ones near my high school once we got out. Totally worth it though, it was like $7 (Hawaiinflation) or something for a meal and it was delicious. They really need to make that a permanent fixture on the menu.

This narrator is awesome.

The biggest mistake was when they stopped using their "Secret Sauce" as the foundation of the spread on their burgers. No. 2 was the elimination of the Bonus Jack.

Used to love them but they doubled their prices and removed all my favorite items.

Love the one with jack and his father who found his little blue pills

I didnt know JITB wasnt all over the country, I moved out of SoCal over 10 years ago but luckily there's a couple here in KC area.

There's a Jack In the Box here in SW AZ, about 3 ... 4... miles from my place. Love the food! I hit it or a D@MN good Burger King every Friday night.

I wish we had a jack in the box. Closest one is 3 hours and get it every time I go through

Please do a episode on Pioneer Chicken!!!! Only 2 left both in L.A. County. Love the channel!

Jack In the Box was my go-to when I was stationed in Hawai'i. I'm from the East Coast and I didn't grow up with it and missed it when I came back home. Just this past week I was in Colorado and ordered my favorite Chicken Pita and Tacos after over 20 years of not having JitB. It wasn't good. The pita was a huge disappointment.

I used to love Jack in the box when I was in high school in the early 80’s. But after the E. coli outbreak, I have only gone back once. But only because I was really hungry and it was the closest.

Jack n the box used to have bargains when it came to their burgers and tacos. I remember they had a combo for $1.99 it came with a burger, fries, and tacos. But now them tacos are damn near a dollar each. I rather just hit up a taco truck and get real meat, that’s not stale. I feel like Jack hires a bunch of stoners, that be messing up orders.every time I go something is missing or they didn’t make my food right. I even got food poisoning one time from their chicken sandwich. For those reasons I have choose to go to other places to get food.

Always loved their tacos and their Phillies cheesesteaks. 😊

I was a fan of Jack in the Box. One calender month I had 25 spicy crispy chicken sandwhichs. A road trip always started with 2 breakfast jacks, oj and a ciffee. I had the best AND worst fast food meal at a JitB. Both spicy crispy chickens. The bad one was a 2 am visit and the two guys in there were super high. The bun was stale. 1 slice of lettuce. No tomato. 3x too much mayo. And all that might have been fine at that hour, but the chix was grey. Took one bite. Said hell no. And went home. No senae taking it back to those 2 jokers.

"Girl, you know there's one thing that I love, but its not you I'm thinking of, I need the Ultimate Cheeseburger!" - Meaty Cheese Boys, 1999.