Jack In The Box Has A Smash(burger) Hit On Its Hands

Jack in the Box recently released two new limited-time burgers, the Smashed Jack and the Bacon Double Smashed Jack, which means we recently taste-tested them. These are Jack in the Box's take on a smashburger, and while we liked the single patty version (the Bacon Double was too much), the verdict was that its liberal amount of chewy beef doesn't technically qualify as a smashburger in any sense. As it turns out, though, our opinions hardly made a difference, because these burgers sold out faster than you can say Munchie Meal.

Business Insider reports that the Smashed Jack was meant to be a typical limited-time item that would be around for six weeks. But two weeks later, Smashed Jack inventory has been wiped clean from Jack in the Box stores due to intense demand. Restaurant Business reported on January 9 that "the company now expects to run out of [Smashed Jack] supplies next week." That's exactly what happened.

What's even more interesting is that there was zero marketing or advertising that contributed to the virality of these burgers. The company just put them on the menu, and word of mouth led to Jack in the Box selling almost 70,000 burgers in one day alone.

Jack in the Box chief marketing officer Ryan Ostrom explained at a recent media event that there are already plans for a national rollout of the Smashed Jack this spring. The target date for the national rollout of the Smashed Jack is at the end of February.

"We're just making sure we have enough in store," Ostrom said. "Will we? We don't know yet. It depends on the passion for this burger. We're predicting strong results from it. We hope our stores can stay in stock. They might not. And if it happens again, then we'll have to figure out another plan and make more."

It's been a long time since we've seen a sales frenzy like this over a fast food sandwich, and it's hard not to compare it to the Popeyes fried chicken sandwich debut in 2019. For that item, a seven-week supply of chicken was depleted in two weeks, causing complete mayhem and changing the face of fast food in the years that followed.

We've seen excitement and hype over all sorts of fast food releases, but typically burgers get a more muted reception. We'll have to keep on eye on Jack in the Box to see if it's got the fast food world's next smash hit on its hands—literally.