Tonight I decided to try jack-in-the-box for the first time...

And by god was it absolutely terrible. New restaurant, clean on the inside, tried 3 different things and I have to wonder, does anyone actually like jack-in-the-box? How are they still in business?

45 comments

Deep. Fried. Tacos.

With American cheese.

2 for a dollar.

26
- Only really good after midnight or the day after.... But they are amazing during the right timeframe.
  
  8
- Are they still two for a dollar?
  
  4
  
  Probably closer to 1.99 now. Was 3 for a dollar in the 90s.
  
  3
- It's been years, but I remember the magic.
  
  2
- Oh that's nasty.
  
  2
It helps to first be higher than giraffe pussy, then you get one of their late night munchie boxes (I like the burger with grilled cheeses for buns, or the chicken melt with hashbrowns on it) and several extra shitty tacos.

21
Here's my Jack-in-the-box story: In high school, Jack-in-the-box was just opening in our town for the first time. My friend group used to go there for the $1 Jumbo Jack. It was a first taste of adult freedom. Positive memories haha

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14
I mean, it’s not great, but it’s not that awful. Pretty good for ending a night out and it’s cheap.

Is Wendy’s better? Yes, but go to a Wendy’s at 2am trying to gullet a Dave’s Double and you’re going to be sick. Jack has burgers that won’t upset your stomach and don’t sit as heavy.

13
- My digestive organs, for the past several hours, have been ceaselessly screaming bloody murder at me. You must have an iron gut
  
  2
Where else can I get a burger, tacos, egg rolls, and churros at 3am on a Thursday night after closing down the bars?

12
- I'm a lifestyle consultant. Keep up the good work.
  
  1
I LOVE Jack-In-The-Box for what it is! It's for sure bottom-tier fast food, but for what you're paying, they make a damn good basic cheeseburger. I find the Jumbo Jack to be way better than whatever Wendy's calls their basic burger. At least at my particular local Jack's, the lettuce and tomato are always super fresh and crisp, surprising for a low-tier fast food joint. The Jack's in my neighborhood have long standing deal with the local sports team where if they hit a home run in a game, everyone in the city gets a free burger the next day!

10
You go there for the curly fries. Three tacos, large curly fries, and a medium shake, enough food to make me literally puke, all for $6.50. I used to go ice skating twice a week, and sometimes after skating and being exhausted and hungry, I would just pig out some Jack on the Box until I regretted it.

The one near my house had a broken shake machine for like 8 months, and I kind of stopped going after that. I just find it hilarious that the person who made that website making fun of McDonald's for always having broken ice cream machines put a note saying, "just go to Jack in the Box. Their ice cream machine is never broken." And I first saw that site while ours was broken.

9
- Probably should've gotten fries, too bad I'll never get the chance to try them because the rest of the food is so bad
  
  1
I feel the same way with every fast food place i've ever been. Why would anyone eat at McDonald's, when it's not like some weird emergency where nothing else is open and you're starving. KFC is weird and greasy, they don't even try to make it look like food. Burger king is the same as McDonald's but their burger have a weird artificial smoke flavour which makes it even worse.

8
- Try McD's sausage egg and cheese McGriddle (NOT McMuffin)
  
  Taco Bell has a handful of good things
  
  3
  
  I like the sausage egg and cheese mcmuffins, I acknowledge that they are awful, but i still always get 2 when I leave for a trip in the morning. I've only gotten other things a few times to try to branch out, and both times I had diarrhea that night. Coincidence? Almost certainly. Will I stop getting mcmuffins on trip mornings? Certainly not.
  
  1
- To be fair McDonald’s has improved a lot in some of their food. Their quarter pounders are actually pretty damn good. But Big Macs and the like are still nasty. The one time I had kfc it was dry and tasteless. Other fast food isn’t so bad though
  
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- Huh… I never heard that before! Neat. It reminded me of Chipotle. They had that badddd year back in 2015 where it felt like every store had either E. Coli, or Norovirus.
  
  4
  
  Yep, so their solution was not to cook in stores anymore, making the food taste like the shit reheated crap it was, making me not go there anymore. Ever. Used to eat there minimum once a week cause it was close to work.
  
  I’ll never understand how making your product demonstrably worse is seen as a good business move.
  
  3
- My family too. Arby's and Jack were places we never even considered going.
  
  As an adult I've tried both, and my conclusion is Arby's tries to be Subway and Dairy Queen and does a mediocre job; Jack is like microwaveable gas station snacks.
  
  2
I will never claim they are authentic, or even great, but I will destroy the 2 for a buck tacos.

5
- I can't upvote this enough! The tacos are horrible and amazing at the same time.
  
  5
  
  It's the cheesy meatpaste!
  
  2
they can provide me a sausage biscuit anytime of the day. breakfast all day wins me over every time.

4
McDonald's: here's your burger, your drink, your napkins, your bag, your hand wipes, your silverware, and your kitchen sink.

Jack-In-The-Box: Hold out your hand (dumps burger condiments into hand)

Me: Um...napkins?

JITB: (sigh) Fiiine. (Pulls out emergency napkin)

3
What did you order OP?

3
- Nuggets, burger and tacos. Wanted to give at least a decent sampling before judging it.
  
  3
  
  Jack is pretty crap overall but there are specific things that I like. Sourdough Jack, onion rings, jalapeño poppers, and some of the breakfast sandwiches, while my wife loves the tacos and crispy chicken sandwich.
  
  Point is, most people find a few items they really like and/or have nostalgia for. Might be worth giving another chance. It also depends on the restaurant. The last place we lived, the local Jack was horrible. Where we are now, the Jack is the best I’ve ever had.
  
  2
I tried them once and that was the end of that.

3
Jack-in-the-Box is the only place that has caused me to throw out a milkshake because it was so bad. A milkshake. Those are, what, two ingredients? Somehow they managed to fuck it up so bad, it came out nasty. I wouldn't eat there again if it was free.

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2
Jack in the Box is kind of hit-or-miss for me. There's a few items that they do really well, but a lot of the menu really just requires that you're in the mood specifically for something heavy and greasy. But they've really begun leaning pretty heavily into the "we make stoner food" shtick, which is why everything is deep fried and swimming in sauces.

Their breakfast sandwiches are usually pretty banging, though. In fact, I think they've got some of the best breakfast options out of any of the major fast food chains.

2
- But they've really begun leaning pretty heavily into the "we make stoner food" shtick
  
  Snoop's Munchie Meal lol.
  
  2
Never had anything good at JitB. They tried opening multiple stores in my hometown on two separate occasions that I know of and both times all the stores kept being shut down for several health code violations and then lack of business following them. No one seems to miss them that I’ve spoken with

2
Jack in the Box has a lot of commercials geared towards stoners for a reason :) Tis best enjoyed after a sesh.... I need to be high to enjoy the yack.

2
When I’m in the mood for trash at 1am I get a buttery Jack and onion rings. Their onion rings are actually incredible.

2
Jack in the Box is the absolute worst fast food that exists. I'll eat a Burger King burger over Jack in the Box and that is saying something.

Hell, I'll eat a gas station sandwich over Jack in the Box.

1
Jack in the box is guaranteed diarrhea. It's so bad. Just a testament to how good a marketing campaign can be. Carries such a bad product.

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- Can’t say I’ve got that but my body is warning me about something. Projectile vomit or heart attack maybe
  
  2
Ugh, sorry to say I do like it. Maybe my brain is kind of filling in the flavor gaps from when I used to eat it as a teenager. I'll admit the quality has gone down but that's true of almost every fast food restaurant. My go-to items are the meat lovers burrito, spicy chicken sandwich, ultimate cheeseburger, sourdough jack, and their tacos. Their whole menu is pretty damn fatty so if that's a turn off don't bother trying anything else.

1
You need to be ordering the tacos. Cheesy meatpaste tacos. They're amazing, cheap, and come in groups of 2. I recommend getting 4 for one person if that's all you're eating as there's not much to them.

Man now I want tacos.

Back in the day they used to have a bruschetta chicken ciabatta sandwich that was heavenly. I miss it.

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Is it like Waffle House?

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Ah yes, gag in the bag. 😃 For some reason I kinda like their "buttery jack", it's just disgusting enough to hit the spot sometimes.

1
It's terrible unless you're very drunk and then it's fine.

I live across from a McD's. There's often a line of cars to the end of the block (it has a very limited amount of space in the parking lot). I can never understand why people still go there, much less wait in line.

Burger King is the only fast food-fast food that I eat. Quality is almost always good. And then there's the better-in-class not-really-fast food-fast food: 5 Guys, Shake Shack (the good stuff).

1