JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Q. A Jacksonville Today reader, Frank N., wants to know if the Jack in the Box fast food restaurant plans to bring a location to Northeast Florida.
“I’m a huge fan and would like to know if the company backed away or is still interested in Florida?”
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A. The restaurant is still interested in Northeast Florida but has not found a franchisee. The chain has agreements to open 31 locations in the Orlando and Tallahassee areas.
The San Diego-based restaurant is known for its tacos, burgers and breakfast served 24 hours a day. In a post on the franchise website Sept. 9, 2022, Jack in the Box announced it was looking to open restaurants in Florida. Jacksonville was included on a list of possible cities along with places like Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Gainesville.
Although the interest has not turned into reality, Van Ingram, vice president of franchise development, said the company remains interested in the Jacksonville market.
Ingram cites Jacksonville’s population growth and demographics as the reasons.
“We really want to see families with children, moderate incomes, boomers and boomerangs, and people who are going to embrace our all-day menu. We want a mix of residential and daytime population,” Ingram said.
Jack in the Box already has agreements in the Orlando and Tallahassee areas, and the company also plans to open restaurants in Augusta and Macon, Georgia, so moving into the Jacksonville market makes sense, Ingram said. It’s the closest location to those markets.
“We look at Florida as a fertile growth market and then we look at Jacksonville, we look at Tampa. Miami probably isn’t as much in the cards to be honest with you. We look more at Jacksonville and Tampa as being priority markets for us beyond what we’ve done in Tallahassee and Orlando,” Ingram said.
Jack in the Box has identified between 45 and 50 intersections in Jacksonville that could make for successful locations, and a few potential franchisees have shown interest, but nothing has materialized, Ingram said.
If you are interested in opening a restaurant, you need to meet a few requirements like having at least $500,000 in liquidity and a net worth of at least $1.5 million. The company also looks for people with restaurant experience, but that is not a requirement.
Once an agreement is reached, Ingram said, it typically takes one to two years before the public will see a restaurant due to zoning, permitting and construction timelines.
To find out more about becoming a franchisee, go to jackintheboxfranchising.com.
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