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Dive Brief:

• Jack in the Box will open 15 units in Georgia over an unspecified period of time, marking its entry to the state, the company announced Tuesday.

• While the franchisee has not chosen specific sites to open its Georgia, the focus will be on the Augusta, Savannah and Macon markets. The company did not respond to a request to clarify which franchisee would operate its Georgia units.

• Both Jack in the Box and sister brand Del Taco have been franchising aggressively as of late, with Jack in the Box preparing to re-enter the Florida market following a deal last spring and recently signing a deal to bring the brand to Michigan.

Dive Insight:

Jack in the Box relaunched franchising in 2021, and since then has entered a number of new markets. By late 2022, it had begun signing major multi-unit deals.

The move into Georgia, according to Jack in the Box’s chief development officer, Tim Linderman, “represents a significant step forward in our strategic expansion across the Southeastern United States.”

The company has undertaken a handful of initiatives to continue its growth, partly in response to rising labor costs tied to California’s fast food wage. Over the next year-and-a-half Jack in the Box is adding freestanding kiosks to its dining rooms in an effort to boost average ticket. It also is in the midst of remodels as part of its Craved reimage program, which includes a $50 million commitment from the franchisor. Over 500 restaurants have submitted requests for remodels and 71 were in the design and permitting stages as of mid-May.

As pricing has chipped away at traffic, Jack has joined a broader restaurant value war by launching a national Munchies Under $4 menu targeting snacking consumers.