Jack's: Difference between revisions
m (→Former Greater Birmingham locations: forgot to link Hoover) |
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* [[Five Points West]], [[Birmingham]] (1960s) | * [[Five Points West]], [[Birmingham]] (1960s) | ||
* [[Bessemer]] (1960s) | * [[Bessemer]] (1960s) | ||
* 5192 [[Old Springville Road]], [[Chalkville]] (closed mid-1980s) | |||
* 2301 [[Center Point Parkway]], [[Center Point]] (1960s) | * 2301 [[Center Point Parkway]], [[Center Point]] (1960s) | ||
* 1594 [[Montgomery Highway]], [[Hoover]] ( | * 1594 [[Montgomery Highway]], [[Hoover]] (closed mid-1980s) | ||
* 3064 [[Warrior River Road]], [[Hueytown]] ( | * 3064 [[Warrior River Road]], [[Hueytown]] (closed mid-1980s) | ||
* [[Roebuck]] (1960s) | * [[Roebuck]] (1960s) | ||
* 163 [[Main Street]], [[Trussville]] | |||
* [[Vestavia Hills]] (1960s) | * [[Vestavia Hills]] (1960s) | ||
Revision as of 18:08, 21 February 2007
Jack's, originally known as Jack's Hamburgers, is a fast food restaurant chain with locations in several southeastern states. It was founded in 1960 by Jack Caddell as a single walk-up stand at 2831 19th Street South in Homewood.
The original menu featured items such as fifteen cent hamburgers and fries, twenty cent shakes, and a twenty cent "Fish-On-A-Bun." Jack's rapidly expanded and by the mid-1960s, there were at least nine locations in Birmingham area, plus one store each in Jackson, Mississippi and Charleston, South Carolina.
Jack's targeted most of its advertising at children. Part of this advertising was sponsoring local children's television shows hosted by Cousin Cliff, Bozo the Clown, and Sergeant Jack. Many Birmingham residents still remember the early Jack's jingle:
- Jack's Hamburgers for 15 cents
- are so good...good...good,
- you'll go back, back, back
- to Jack's, Jack's, Jack's
- for more...more...more.
The jingle was composed by Henry Kimbrell and produced by Ed Boutwell. Jack's continues to use an abberviated version in their advertising today.
In the mid to late 1970s, Jack's was expanding into south Alabama and the Florida panhandle. In the 1980s many of these locations began to close, but at least one individual was having success with Jack's. Benny LaRussa, primarily involved in the grocery business, had purchased a single franchise in the '60's. In 1979, LaRussa abandoned groceries and purchased a franchise territory of 13 Jack's stores. From then until 1988 he expanded his territory to 33 stores. Then, in 1989, LaRussa purchased the total franchise rights to the Jack's concept.
In 2006 there were approximately 76 Jack's locations across four states. Jack's Family Restaurants, Inc. is still a privately-held company with one franchisee, Manna Enterprises, Inc. The original Jack's in Homewood was recently renovated and, since the construction of SoHo Square, occupies a newly-privileged spot directly in front of the new Homewood City Hall. Jack's corporate headquarters are at 124 West Oxmoor Road in Homewood.
Trademark design
Jack's restaurants were originally walk-up stands with a slanted roof and vertical orange and yellow stripes on each side. The original signs featured "Jack's" in five individual white rectangles with the word "Hamburgers" on a separate sign underneath. In the late '60s, the chain began converting their walk-up stands to full, dine-in restaurants. Most upgraded restaurants featured faux stone walls. In the mid '70s Jack's began using new signage featuring the name written on an angle in white inside a red circle; the word "Hamburgers" was dropped. In the early 2000's, Jack's changed the logo from the original, all capital font to a mixed-case font. It still appears on the familiar red circle, but the circle is smaller so that the text extends outside of it.
Current Greater Birmingham locations
- #144, 5701 Veterans Memorial Drive, Adamsville
- #162, 1800 19th Street North, Bessemer
- #189, 21359 U.S. Highway 11, Caffee Junction
- #008, Sumiton Shopping Center, Dora
- #146, 201 Walker Chapel Road, Fultondale
- #210, 2259 Mount Olive Road, Gardendale
- #001, 2831 19th Street South, Homewood
- #166, 3429 Lorna Road, Hoover
- #168, 1724 Crestwood Boulevard, Irondale
- #129, 3204 U.S. Highway 78, Jasper
- #004, 80 Alabama State Highway 195, Jasper
- #174, 4468 Centerpoint Parkway, Pinson
- #145, 27 Park Road #200, Pleasant Grove
- #165, 2890 Pinson Valley Parkway, Tarrant
- #167, 1460 Gadsden Highway, Trussville
- #134, 219 Louisa Street, Warrior
Former Greater Birmingham locations
This list is incomplete.
- Alabaster (1960s)
- 304 3rd Avenue West, Birmingham (1960s)
- Eastwood Mall, Birmingham (1960s)
- Five Points West, Birmingham (1960s)
- Bessemer (1960s)
- 5192 Old Springville Road, Chalkville (closed mid-1980s)
- 2301 Center Point Parkway, Center Point (1960s)
- 1594 Montgomery Highway, Hoover (closed mid-1980s)
- 3064 Warrior River Road, Hueytown (closed mid-1980s)
- Roebuck (1960s)
- 163 Main Street, Trussville
- Vestavia Hills (1960s)