Jack in the Box

In 1951, Robert O. Peterson opened the first Jack in the Box in San Diego, California, with a clear innovation: a two-way intercom system that revolutionized the drive-thru. This wasn't Peterson's first restaurant, but it was the one that codified the fast-food service model, using the intercom to take a second customer's order while the first was at the window, dramatically speeding up service. Peterson's company, Foodmaker, grew the chain to over 180 locations before he sold it to Ralston Purina in 1968. Under new ownership, the chain expanded rapidly across the country. The company went public in 1987. However, the company's trajectory took a dark turn in 1993 with a devastating E. coli outbreak traced back to its restaurants. The incident sickened hundreds, caused multiple deaths, and became a landmark case in food safety history. The crisis nearly destroyed the company but led to a complete overhaul of its food safety protocols, which later became an industry model. Facing financial and public relations ruin, Jack in the Box mounted a comeback, eventually acquiring chains like Qdoba Mexican Grill and, more recently, Del Taco in 2022.