Jack in the Box Is Finally Opening New Chicago Area Locations This Summer

Jack in the Box is finally returning to the Windy City. Its first location will open in the Chicago area in the summer of 2025.

After many stops, starts, and false alarms, NBC 5 Chicago reports that up to 10 locations will open over the next two years in Chicago, Countryside, Tinley Park, New Lenox, Plainfield, Naperville, Carol Stream, and Lake in the Hills. The first suburban location is scheduled to open by July 2025.

The restaurant had previously stated that the Chicago locations would be open 24 hours a day, provide dine-in, drive-thru, and mobile ordering options, and serve the chain’s famous late-night “24/7 cravable menu.” Breakfast, milkshakes, chicken sandwiches, tacos, and burgers are other well-liked Jack in the Box menu items.

However, when NBC 5 Chicago asked for clarification, Jack in the Box executives did not return the outlet’s request for comment.

Jack in the Box First Announced the Chicago-Area Locations After the Q3 Earnings Call

The popular fast-food chain first hinted that it would be expanding to the Windy City after its Q3 earnings call last August. The return marks the first time the chain has been in Chicago in 40 years.

This information implies that after a period of contraction, the fast-food chain is growing again.

CMO Ryan Ostrom attributed this success to marketing campaigns and social media’s ability to raise brand awareness, which is helping the fast-food business expand into new areas. During the company’s January “Investor Day” presentation last year, Ostrom told analysts, “We have 80% brand awareness. The excitement we’re seeing across the United States about our brand, the demand in the U.S., and now socially, is something I’ve never seen.”

“I’m not sure I’m knowledgeable of any other restaurant chains that have such scale and proof of concept that still has such tremendous white space across the United States for growth,” said Darin Harris — the CEO of Jack in the Box, who took over in 2020 following dissatisfaction among franchisees — at the time.

With 2.5% annual growth in the number of units, Jack in the Box and its sister brand, Del Taco, aim to establish 90 to 120 additional locations by 2027. Executives predict that the company may open more than twice as many locations as it already does, with Del Taco potentially reaching 2,600.