A Jack in the Box restaurant was once nestled next to an Arby’s on East Chicago Avenue, between Michigan Avenue and State Street, before the chain left the city in the early 1980s. The San Diego-based chain is planning to open eight 24-hour restaurants in the city and suburbs in 2025 and 2026.
Carmen Reporto/Sun-Times file
Jack in the Box plans to pop up in the Chicago area after a 40-year absence.
The San Diego-based fast food chain, popular for its burgers and tacos, is looking to open eight new 24-hour restaurants in the city and suburbs between 2025 and 2026.
Most locations will be in the suburbs — including Lake in the Hills, Carol Stream, Naperville, and Plainfield. The only city location will be near Midway Airport, according to a statement sent to the Sun-Times.
“We’re excited to bring our unique menu where customers can order any item at any time — day or night,” said Darin Harris, CEO of Jack in the Box, in a statement.
Nine locations already are operating in downstate Illinois, with the closest about four hours away in Litchfield.
Jack in the Box had 20 restaurants in the Chicago area in the late 1970s. By the early 1980s, the chain shut them down to focus on developing locations in the southwestern United States, a spokesperson told DNAInfo in 2014.