<Tr> <Th> Number of employees </Th> <Td>> 22,000 (2013) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> jackinthebox.com </Td> </Tr> <P> Jack in the Box is an American fast - food restaurant chain founded February 21, 1951, by Robert O. Peterson in San Diego, California, where it is headquartered . The chain has 2,200 locations, primarily serving the West Coast of the United States and selected large urban areas in the eastern portion of the US including Texas and the Charlotte metropolitan area . The company also formerly operated the Qdoba Mexican Grill chain until Apollo Global Management bought the chain in December 2017 . </P> <P> Food items include a variety of chicken tenders and french fries along with hamburger and cheeseburger sandwiches along with selections of internationally themed foods such as tacos (Mexico) and egg rolls (China). </P>

When did jack in the box first open