The first Jack in the Box restaurant was opened in San Diego, California , at the corner of 63rd Street and El Cajon Boulevard in the Rolando neighborhood.

Quick Scoop

  • The chain was founded by Robert O. Peterson in 1951, when he converted one of his drive-in restaurants into the first Jack in the Box.
  • That original site on El Cajon Boulevard is widely cited as San Diego’s first true drive‑through with a two‑way intercom system.
  • The brand’s roots go back to an earlier drive‑in called Topsy’s/Oscar’s at a nearby El Cajon Boulevard address, which evolved into the Jack in the Box concept.

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