Dive Brief:
- Jack in the Box has installed flip kiosks in nearly 1,500 restaurants, CEO Lance Tucker said Wednesday during an earnings call.
- With the help of first-party digital activity and the kiosk installation, digital channels accounted for 18% of Jack in the Box’s sales systemwide, he said.
- Kiosk deployment is part of the chain’s Jack on Track strategy, which was shared in April and includes enhancing digital channels, closing underperforming locations and reviewing strategic alternatives for Del Taco.
Dive Insight:
Further emphasis on digital sales could help boost Jack in the Box’s same-store sales, which fell 4.4% in fiscal Q2 2025, according to an earnings release. Menu prices were higher year-over-year, but transactions and mix were down.
“We continue to drive sales in our mobile and digital channels, which is essential in our efforts to increase active loyalty program membership and create personalized, targeted promotions to this high-value channel,” Dawn Hooper, interim CFO, said during the earnings call. “We feel great about our ability to achieve the target of 20% digital sales ahead of schedule.”
All company-owned Del Taco’s have kiosks installed, and franchisee adoption has increased. Del Taco posted a same-store sales decline of 3.6%, but its digital mix is also at 18%, supported by the addition of kiosks as well as third-party delivery and mobile orders.
Kiosks generally improve upsell and typically have higher average tickets than ordering at the front counter. For example, kiosk ordering is Shake Shack’s largest and most profitable channel. Other chains, including El Pollo Loco, Yum Brands, Burger King, Popeyes, Bojangles, Wendy’s and Portillo’s have been installing kiosks at their restaurants in recent years.
