Jack's: Difference between revisions

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== History ==
== History ==
The first Jack's, a drive-in, was opened on [[November 21]], [[1960]] by [[Jack Caddell]] in downtown [[Homewood]]. A formal grand opening followed that Friday, [[November 25]] with appearances by Santa Claus and [[Cliff Holman|Cousin Cliff]].
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]] to 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]] to 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.
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Another longtime franchisee, [[Wayne Reaves]], built the Anniston-area market back up with a cluster of stores owned by his Manna Enterprises.
Another longtime franchisee, [[Wayne Reaves]], built the Anniston-area market back up with a cluster of stores owned by his Manna Enterprises.


By [[2006]] there were approximately 76 Jack's locations across four states, mostly company-owned. Jack's Family Restaurants, Inc. remains a privately-held company Manna Enterprises as its sole franchisee. The chain builds 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 [[2006]] there were approximately 76 Jack's locations across four states, mostly company-owned. Jack's Family Restaurants, Inc. remains a privately-held company, with Manna Enterprises as its sole franchisee. The chain builds 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.
 
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]].


==Trademark design==
==Trademark design==

Revision as of 16:55, 21 November 2010

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

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.

History

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 to 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.

Jimmy Moreland became one of the chain's first franchise owners, and took over as chief executive of the 57-store chain when Florida Capitol bought it from Caddell in March 1969. The next decade saw the company expand from 17 stores to almost 80 locations in five states. Increased competition from national chains forced the closure of numerous locations through the 1980s.

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 also 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.

By 2006 there were approximately 76 Jack's locations across four states, mostly company-owned. Jack's Family Restaurants, Inc. remains a privately-held company, with Manna Enterprises as its sole franchisee. The chain builds 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.

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

Former Greater Birmingham locations

This list is incomplete.

References

External links

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