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{{About|the hamburger chain}}
{{About|the hamburger chain}}
[[Image:Jacks logo.png|right]]
[[File:Jack's logo 2018.PNG|right]]
'''Jack's Family Restaurants''', founded as '''Jack's Hamburgers''' in [[Homewood]], is a fast food restaurant chain with 107 locations in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee. The corporate headquarters are at 124 [[West Oxmoor Road]] in Homewood. [[Benny LaRussa]] is the current chairman of the board. Other officers include [[Charles Mizerany]], president and [[Billy Wentz]], vice-president of operations.
'''Jack's Family Restaurants Inc.''', founded as '''Jack's Hamburgers''' in [[Homewood]], is a fast food restaurant chain with 210 locations in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The corporate headquarters are at 124 [[West Oxmoor Road]] in Homewood.
 
The Onex Group of Toronto, Ontario acquired the chain in [[2015]] for an equity investment of $234 million. The company hired [[Todd Bartmess]] as CEO, succeeding [[Benny LaRussa]]. Other officers include chief financial officer [[Matt Lallatin]] and [[Billy Wentz]], vice-president of operations.
 
Bartmess oversaw a strategic expansion and overhaul of the brand. Onex sold the chain in [[2019]] for a net profit of $835 million.


==Founding==
==Founding==
The first Jack's, a drive-in, was opened on [[November 21]], [[1960]] by [[Jack Caddell]] on [[29th Avenue South Homewood|29th Avenue South]] in downtown [[Homewood]]. A formal grand opening followed that Friday, [[November 25]] with appearances by Santa Claus and [[Cliff Holman|Cousin Cliff]].
[[File:Jacks No 1.jpg|left|thumb|450px|The first Jack's in Homewood]]
[[Jack's No. 1|The first Jack's]], a drive-in, was opened on [[November 21]], [[1960]] by [[Jack Caddell]] on [[29th Avenue South Homewood|29th Avenue South]] in downtown [[Homewood]]. A formal grand opening followed that Friday, [[November 25]] with appearances by Santa Claus and [[Cliff Holman|Cousin Cliff]].


Caddell was inspired by the early spread of the McDonald's hamburger chain in California and introduced the quick-service concept to Alabama. When the McDonald's chain arrived in town two years later, many assumed that it was patterned after Jack's. The first location, designed by architect [[Edward Bondurant]] was distinguished by orange and yellow enameled metal panels, arranged as vertical stripes under a slanted, overhanging roof. The original signs featured "Jack's" in five individual white rectangles with the word "Hamburgers" on a separate sign underneath. The kitchen fixtures, per Caddell's specifications, featured heated work tables, a 500-cup per hour automated coffee maker, milkshake machines capable of turning out 36 shakes every three minutes and modern electronic cash registers. The building was  constructed by the [[Porcelain Engineering Company]] of Homewood.
Caddell was inspired by the early spread of the McDonald's hamburger chain in California and introduced the quick-service concept to Alabama. When the McDonald's chain arrived in town two years later, many assumed that it was patterned after Jack's. The first location, designed by architect [[Edward Bondurant]] was distinguished by orange and yellow enameled metal panels, arranged as vertical stripes under a slanted, overhanging roof. The original signs featured "Jack's" in five individual white rectangles with the word "Hamburgers" on a separate sign underneath. The kitchen fixtures, per Caddell's specifications, featured heated work tables, a 500-cup per hour automated coffee maker, milkshake machines capable of turning out 36 shakes every three minutes and modern electronic cash registers. The building was  constructed by the [[Porcelain Engineering Company]] of Homewood.


[[Image:Jacks ad with Santa Claus.JPG|right|thumb|275px|An early advertising card used on the [[Cousin Cliff]] television program]]
[[Image:Jacks ad with Santa Claus.JPG|right|thumb|250px|An early advertising card used on the [[Cousin Cliff]] television program]]
Jack's 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 District|Birmingham area]], plus one store each in Jackson, Mississippi and Charleston, South Carolina.
Jack's 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 District|Birmingham area]], plus one store each in Jackson, Mississippi and Charleston, South Carolina.


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Florida Capital CEO Jimmy Moreland shepherded the growth of the chain from 17 to almost 80 locations in four states. The chain's complex signage was simplified to a large red circle with the word "Jack's" in white script. The menu was expanded with the "Big Jack" 1/4-pound hamburger in [[1976]], Jack's Spicy Chicken in [[1978]], and a breakfast menu featuring fresh-made biscuits in [[1979]]. Despite those efforts, increased competition from national chains forced the closure of numerous locations through the 1980s.  
Florida Capital CEO Jimmy Moreland shepherded the growth of the chain from 17 to almost 80 locations in four states. The chain's complex signage was simplified to a large red circle with the word "Jack's" in white script. The menu was expanded with the "Big Jack" 1/4-pound hamburger in [[1976]], Jack's Spicy Chicken in [[1978]], and a breakfast menu featuring fresh-made biscuits in [[1979]]. Despite those efforts, increased competition from national chains forced the closure of numerous locations through the 1980s.  


[[Image:Jacks logo.png|left|thumb|175px|Jack's logo in use in 2006]]
During that period, franchisee [[Benny LaRussa]], a [[Bruno's]] grocery store manager and company executive, began expanding his operating territory from the single location he had operated in [[Dora]] since the 1960s. In [[1979]], he purchased a franchise territory of 13 Jack's stores. From then until [[1988]] he expanded his territory to 33 stores, almost all of the locations still in business. In [[1989]], LaRussa purchased sole franchise rights for the Jack's concept from owners [[Dick Reese]] and [[Don Ghareeb]]. He supplies Jack's and many area Subway restaurants from his [[Southeastern Food Merchandisers]] wholesale grocery business.
During that period, franchisee [[Benny LaRussa]], a [[Bruno's]] grocery store manager and company executive, began expanding his operating territory from the single location he had operated in [[Dora]] since the 1960s. In [[1979]], he purchased a franchise territory of 13 Jack's stores. From then until [[1988]] he expanded his territory to 33 stores, almost all of the locations still in business. In [[1989]], LaRussa purchased sole franchise rights for the Jack's concept from owners [[Dick Reese]] and [[Don Ghareeb]]. He supplies Jack's and many area Subway restaurants from his [[Southeastern Food Merchandisers]] wholesale grocery business.


Line 23: Line 29:


By [[2010]] there were 108 Jack's locations in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia, mostly company-owned. Jack's Family Restaurants, Inc. remains a privately-held company, with Manna Enterprises as its sole franchisee. The chain pursues ties within the stores' communities, including elected officials, school and athletic leaders and other business owners. Each location has a hostess on staff to tend to dining room patrons. The typical Jack's restaurant makes 45% of its revenue at the lunch hour and 35% from breakfast service. Its customer base is older than the average fast-food chain.
By [[2010]] there were 108 Jack's locations in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia, mostly company-owned. Jack's Family Restaurants, Inc. remains a privately-held company, with Manna Enterprises as its sole franchisee. The chain pursues ties within the stores' communities, including elected officials, school and athletic leaders and other business owners. Each location has a hostess on staff to tend to dining room patrons. The typical Jack's restaurant makes 45% of its revenue at the lunch hour and 35% from breakfast service. Its customer base is older than the average fast-food chain.
In [[2018]] Jack's began rolling out a new prototype store design from Tesser of San Francisco, California. The prototype made it's debut in [[Southside, Etowah County]] that year. The redesign features a wraparound porch with rocking chairs, an "old-school" ice cream counter, and an interior window from the dining area to the biscuit-making station in the kitchen. The No. 008 store in [[Dora]] was rebuilt that winter. Store No. 001 in [[Homewood]] was demolished and rebuilt using the new design in the Summer of [[2019]].


== Locations ==
== Locations ==
[[File:1960 Jacks stand.jpg|right|thumb|325px|An early Jack's hamburger stand]]
[[File:1960 Jack's hamburger stand.jpg|right|thumb|325px|An early Jack's hamburger stand]]
===Current Birmingham area locations===
===Current Birmingham area locations===
* [[Jack's No. 1|#001]], 2831 [[19th Street South Homewood|19th Street South]], [[Homewood]] (rebuilt 2019)
* #004, 80 [[Alabama State Highway 195]], [[Jasper]]
* #008, [[Sumiton Shopping Center]], [[Dora]] (rebuilt 2019)
* #129, 3204 [[U.S. Highway 78]], [[Jasper]]
* #134, 219 [[Louisa Street]], [[Warrior]]
* #144, 5707 [[Veterans Memorial Drive]], [[Adamsville]] (opened [[2012]])
* #144, 5707 [[Veterans Memorial Drive]], [[Adamsville]] (opened [[2012]])
* #145, 27 [[Park Road (Pleasant Grove)|Park Road]] #200, [[Pleasant Grove]]
* #146, 201 [[Walker Chapel Road]], [[Fultondale]]
* #162, 1800 [[19th Street North (Bessemer)|19th Street North]], [[Bessemer]]
* #162, 1800 [[19th Street North (Bessemer)|19th Street North]], [[Bessemer]]
* #189, 21359 [[U.S. Highway 11]], [[Caffee Junction]]
* #165, 2890 [[Pinson Valley Parkway]], [[Tarrant]]
* #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]]
* #166, 3429 [[Lorna Road]], [[Hoover]]
* #168, 1724 [[Crestwood Boulevard]], [[Irondale]]
* #167, 1460 [[Gadsden Highway]], [[Trussville]]
* #129, 3204 [[U.S. Highway 78]], [[Jasper]]
* #168, 7748 [[Crestwood Boulevard]], [[Eastwood]] (relocated from Irondale in 2022)
* #004, 80 [[Alabama State Highway 195]], [[Jasper]]
* #174, 4468 [[Center Point Road]], [[Pinson]]
* #174, 4468 [[Center Point Road]], [[Pinson]]
* #145, 27 [[Park Road (Pleasant Grove)|Park Road]] #200, [[Pleasant Grove]]
* #189, 21359 [[U.S. Highway 11]], [[Caffee Junction]]
* #165, 2890 [[Pinson Valley Parkway]], [[Tarrant]]
* #167, 1460 [[Gadsden Highway]], [[Trussville]]
* #134, 219 [[Louisa Street]], [[Warrior]]
* #191, 30085 [[Highway 79]], [[Locust Fork]]
* #191, 30085 [[Highway 79]], [[Locust Fork]]
* #210, 2259 [[Mount Olive Road]], [[Gardendale]]
* #238, 5711 [[Chalkville Road]], [[Grayson Valley]] (opened [[2012]])
* #257, 425 [[Fieldstown Road]], [[Gardendale]]
* 11 [[Argo Parkway]], [[Argo]]
* 2715 [[Allison-Bonnett Memorial Drive]], [[Hueytown]]
* 2511 [[Moody Parkway]], [[Moody]]
* 4604 [[Deerfoot Parkway]], [[Trussville]] (opened December 31, 2019)
* 680 Patton Drive, [[Vinemont]] (opened November 2022)
* 1050 [[Main Street (Montevallo)|Main Street]], [[Montevallo]]


=== Former Birmingham area locations ===
=== Former Birmingham area locations ===
''This list is incomplete.''
''This list is incomplete.''
* [[Jack's No. 1|Number 1]], 1827 [[29th Avenue South Homewood|29th Avenue South]], [[Homewood]] (drive-in, opened [[November 21]], [[1960]])
* [[Jack's No. 2|Number 2]], [[Roebuck Plaza]] Shopping Center (opened [[April 20]], [[1961]] at a cost of $100,000)
* Number 3, 304 [[3rd Avenue West]], [[Elyton Village]] (opened September [[1961]])
* Number 4, 1822 9th Avenue North, [[Bessemer]] (1960s)
* Number 7, 7803 [[Crestwood Boulevard]], [[Eastwood Mall]] out-parcel, [[Birmingham]] (1960s)
* Number 9, 2301 [[Center Point Parkway]], [[Center Point]] (1960s)
* Number 12, 7600 [[Crestwood Boulevard]], [[Birmingham]] (1960s, at approximate later location of [[Century Plaza]])
* Number 13, 1594 [[Montgomery Highway (Hoover)|Montgomery Highway]], [[Hoover]] (closed mid-1980s)
* Number 15, 1716 [[6th Avenue South]], [[Medical Center]] (1970s)
* #144, 5701 [[Veterans Memorial Drive]], [[Adamsville]] ([[1989]]-[[2012]])
* #144, 5701 [[Veterans Memorial Drive]], [[Adamsville]] ([[1989]]-[[2012]])
* [[29th Avenue South Homewood|29th Avenue South]], [[Homewood]] (opened November [[1960]])
* #168, 1724 [[Crestwood Boulevard]], [[Irondale]] (relocated to Eastwood in 2022)
* [[Roebuck Plaza]] (opened April [[1961]])
* 304 [[3rd Avenue West]], [[Elyton Village]] (opened September [[1961]])
* [[Alabaster]] (1960s)
* [[Alabaster]] (1960s)
* [[Eastwood Mall]], [[Birmingham]] (1960s)
* [[Five Points West]], [[Birmingham]] (1960s)
* [[Five Points West]], [[Birmingham]] (1960s)
* [[Bessemer]] (1960s)
* 1716 [[6th Avenue South]], [[Medical Center]] (1970s)
* 5192 [[Old Springville Road]], [[Chalkville]] (closed mid-1980s)
* 5192 [[Old Springville Road]], [[Chalkville]] (closed mid-1980s)
* 2301 [[Center Point Parkway]], [[Center Point]] (1960s)
* 1594 [[Montgomery Highway (Hoover)|Montgomery Highway]], [[Hoover]] (closed mid-1980s)
* 3064 [[Warrior River Road]], [[Hueytown]] (closed mid-1980s)
* 3064 [[Warrior River Road]], [[Hueytown]] (closed mid-1980s)
* 163 [[Main Street]], [[Trussville]]
* 163 [[Main Street (Trussville)|Main Street]], [[Trussville]]
* [[Vestavia Hills]] (1960s)
* 707 [[Montgomery Highway (Vestavia Hills)|Montgomery Highway]], [[Vestavia Hills]] (1960s)
* 1644 Forestdale Blvd
* 1801 National, Tarrant City
* 1926 1st Avenue North, Birmingham
* 101 Hueytown Plaza, Hueytown


==References==
==References==
Line 66: Line 90:
* Burger, Frederick (March 2001) "Southern Smiles." QSR Magazine  
* Burger, Frederick (March 2001) "Southern Smiles." QSR Magazine  
* Hayes, Jack (January 28, 2002) "Jack's: Service with a smile brightens fast-food chain's future as it re-emerges as a Southeastern force." ''Nation's Restaurant News''
* Hayes, Jack (January 28, 2002) "Jack's: Service with a smile brightens fast-food chain's future as it re-emerges as a Southeastern force." ''Nation's Restaurant News''
* Mahoney, Ryan (January 19, 2004) "Jack's buys Danka building for headquarters." ''Birmingham Business Journal''
* Mahoney, Ryan (January 19, 2004) "Jack's buys Danka building for headquarters." {{BBJ}}
* Lewis, Herbert J. (March 31, 2010) "[http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2356 Jack's Family Restaurants]". Encyclopedia of Alabama
* Lewis, Herbert J. (February 15, 2022) "[http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2356 Jack's Family Restaurants]". Encyclopedia of Alabama
* Williams, Roy L. (August 15, 2010) "On the record: Benny LaRussa of Birmingham's Jack's Family Restaurants." ''Birmingham News''
* Williams, Roy L. (August 15, 2010) "On the record: Benny LaRussa of Birmingham's Jack's Family Restaurants." {{BN}}
* Hollis, Tim (November 2010) "Back to Jack's". ''Birmingham'' magazine. p. 40
* Hollis, Tim (November 2010) "Back to Jack's". ''Birmingham'' magazine. p. 40
* Chambers, Jesse (November 16, 2012) "New Jack's cuts the cake for seniors, commuters." {{BN}}
* Van der Bijl, Hanno (April 18, 2018) "Jack's CEO weighs in on fast food chain's expansion plans." {{BBJ}}
* Thornton, William (March 6, 2019) "Jack's opening new prototype location in Etowah County." {{BN}}
* Van der Bijl, Hanno (April 18, 2019) "Jack's to rebuild Homewood location according to new design concept." {{BBJ}}
* Thornton, William (July 25, 2019) "Canadian owner of Jack’s Restaurants to sell chain." {{BN}}
* Thornton, William (September 6, 2019) "Flagship Jack’s location to reopen Monday in Homewood." {{BN}}
* McBride, Sav (December 27, 2020) "[https://thehomewoodstar.com/businesses/jacks-celebrates-60th-birthday/ Jack’s celebrates 60th birthday]."  {{HS}}
* Vijayan, Naveena (February 7, 2022) "[https://www.mashed.com/257305/the-untold-truth-of-jacks/ The Untold Truth Of Jack's]" Mashed.com
* O'Leary, A. J. (December 7, 2022) "Jack’s plans expansions, taps new PR agency." {{BBJ}}


==External links==
==External links==
Line 75: Line 108:
* [http://www.birminghamrewound.com/jacks.htm Jack's Hamburgers] at [[Birmingham Rewound]]
* [http://www.birminghamrewound.com/jacks.htm Jack's Hamburgers] at [[Birmingham Rewound]]


[[Category:Restaurant chains]]
[[Category:Jack's|*]]
[[Category:1960 establishments]]
[[Category:1960 establishments]]

Latest revision as of 08:11, 17 October 2023

This article is about the hamburger chain. For other uses, see Jack's (disambiguation).
Jack's logo 2018.PNG

Jack's Family Restaurants Inc., founded as Jack's Hamburgers in Homewood, is a fast food restaurant chain with 210 locations in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The corporate headquarters are at 124 West Oxmoor Road in Homewood.

The Onex Group of Toronto, Ontario acquired the chain in 2015 for an equity investment of $234 million. The company hired Todd Bartmess as CEO, succeeding Benny LaRussa. Other officers include chief financial officer Matt Lallatin and Billy Wentz, vice-president of operations.

Bartmess oversaw a strategic expansion and overhaul of the brand. Onex sold the chain in 2019 for a net profit of $835 million.

Founding

The first Jack's in Homewood

The first Jack's, a drive-in, was opened on November 21, 1960 by Jack Caddell on 29th Avenue South in downtown Homewood. A formal grand opening followed that Friday, November 25 with appearances by Santa Claus and Cousin Cliff.

Caddell was inspired by the early spread of the McDonald's hamburger chain in California and introduced the quick-service concept to Alabama. When the McDonald's chain arrived in town two years later, many assumed that it was patterned after Jack's. The first location, designed by architect Edward Bondurant was distinguished by orange and yellow enameled metal panels, arranged as vertical stripes under a slanted, overhanging roof. The original signs featured "Jack's" in five individual white rectangles with the word "Hamburgers" on a separate sign underneath. The kitchen fixtures, per Caddell's specifications, featured heated work tables, a 500-cup per hour automated coffee maker, milkshake machines capable of turning out 36 shakes every three minutes and modern electronic cash registers. The building was constructed by the Porcelain Engineering Company of Homewood.

An early advertising card used on the Cousin Cliff television program

Jack's 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 remember the chain's famous "15-cent Jingle" composed by Henry Kimbrell.

Growth

Like other fast food chains, Jack's evolved into a sit-down restaurant in the late 1960s, remodeling some of its existing locations with faux-stone walls. Jimmy Moreland became one of the chain's first franchise owners, and took over as chief executive of the 17-store chain when Florida Capital bought it from Caddell in March 1969.

Florida Capital CEO Jimmy Moreland shepherded the growth of the chain from 17 to almost 80 locations in four states. The chain's complex signage was simplified to a large red circle with the word "Jack's" in white script. The menu was expanded with the "Big Jack" 1/4-pound hamburger in 1976, Jack's Spicy Chicken in 1978, and a breakfast menu featuring fresh-made biscuits in 1979. Despite those efforts, increased competition from national chains forced the closure of numerous locations through the 1980s.

Jack's logo in use in 2006

During that period, franchisee Benny LaRussa, a Bruno's grocery store manager and company executive, began expanding his operating territory from the single location he had operated in Dora since the 1960s. In 1979, he purchased a franchise territory of 13 Jack's stores. From then until 1988 he expanded his territory to 33 stores, almost all of the locations still in business. In 1989, LaRussa purchased sole franchise rights for the Jack's concept from owners Dick Reese and Don Ghareeb. He supplies Jack's and many area Subway restaurants from his Southeastern Food Merchandisers wholesale grocery business.

Another longtime franchisee, Wayne Reaves, built the Anniston-area market back up with a cluster of stores owned by his Manna Enterprises. The current logo, with a different, larger script, was adopted in the early 2000s. In 2004 the company relocated its headquarters across Oxmoor Road to the 13,000-square-foot building vacated in 2000 by the Danka Office Imaging Company of St Petersburg, Florida, expanding it with a 4,000 square foot addition.

By 2010 there were 108 Jack's locations in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia, mostly company-owned. Jack's Family Restaurants, Inc. remains a privately-held company, with Manna Enterprises as its sole franchisee. The chain pursues ties within the stores' communities, including elected officials, school and athletic leaders and other business owners. Each location has a hostess on staff to tend to dining room patrons. The typical Jack's restaurant makes 45% of its revenue at the lunch hour and 35% from breakfast service. Its customer base is older than the average fast-food chain.

In 2018 Jack's began rolling out a new prototype store design from Tesser of San Francisco, California. The prototype made it's debut in Southside, Etowah County that year. The redesign features a wraparound porch with rocking chairs, an "old-school" ice cream counter, and an interior window from the dining area to the biscuit-making station in the kitchen. The No. 008 store in Dora was rebuilt that winter. Store No. 001 in Homewood was demolished and rebuilt using the new design in the Summer of 2019.

Locations

An early Jack's hamburger stand
An early Jack's hamburger stand

Current Birmingham area locations

Former Birmingham area locations

This list is incomplete.

References

External links

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