I Got A Sneak Peek At Jack In The Box's 75th Anniversary Menu And There's Much To Celebrate

Robert O. Peterson jumped into the drive-in food business by opening Topsy's in San Diego back in 1941. Topsy's eventually became Oscar's, which gave rise to Jack in the Box in 1951. Throughout the next 75 years, Jack in the Box became a pioneer in fast food, popularizing two-way ordering from the drive-thru, introducing one of the first breakfast sandwiches, and even selling the first portable salad within the industry. Today, the fast food chain has plenty to offer during the day and well into the late night, from Jack in the Box's all-day breakfast to munchie boxes, burgers, egg rolls, and Jack's ever-popular box tacos. To celebrate its diamond anniversary, the brand is thinking both outside the box –– including "Jibbis" collectible toys and cups with money-winning gold pins hiding within –– and digging back inside to revive some past favorites.

The Takeout was invited to Jack's San Diego headquarters to have a look and listen (and a lot of bites) of what's to come in 2026 to celebrate this milestone. On the menu were such items as a trio of smashed sliders, protein bowls, hot honeyed mozzarella sticks, a special birthday Whip Topping for shakes, a line of matcha drinks, and throwback returns of beloved items, such as the Big Mess, Chicken Supreme, and Frings (a pairing of fries and onion rings into one handy side).

So, is Jack in the Box's 75th Anniversary Menu one worth celebrating, or is it just a giant party pooper? Before you RSVP to the year-long affair, please check out our notes as we reveal all in this chew and review.

In mid-January, I was invited to Jack in the Box's headquarters in San Diego to learn about the chain's past, present, and future. Beyond the colorful history lesson, I was welcomed into Jack's test kitchen for a sneak peek at some retro throwback menu items, and new ones that will dot the menu in 2026. All the items were made fresh and consumed on site at Jack's HQ, in no particular order, although I made sure to save the shakes for my dessert. Some of the products were even worthy of a second round.

This review is a summation of my own personal tastes and opinions, taking into consideration my previous eating forays with Jack in the Box, and my current experience with what was being served. For most of my life, I've lived in a Jack in the Box food desert. I have had it only a couple of times, and I wouldn't say I have a formed relationship with the brand. This trip to Jack's HQ was essentially a first impression with the brand and its offerings.

The ultimate criteria considered for this chew and review were flavor, appearance, presentation, smell, texture, temperature, familiarity, originality, and uniqueness. Finally, I assessed whether these items were worth celebrating in general.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

All of Jack in the Box's 75th Anniversary Menu items will be available at participating nationwide locations. This includes 25 states, spanning from California to Florida. Some of the offerings will be around for a limited time, while supplies last. Be sure to consult Jack in the Box's website or app for up-to-date information, including release dates, pricing, availability, a full list of ingredients, and nutritional values. Information listed in this review may be subject to change over time.

Orders for these anniversary menu items can be placed at the counter in stores or at the drive-thru, where available. Advanced orders for dine-in, pick-up, or delivery can be placed through Jack's website and app. Most items can be customized to add or remove ingredients. While some locations have set hours, many are open 24-7.

There were many Jack in the Box items to choose from, but I decided to roll first with the Sweet Reaper Mozzarella Sticks. From afar, they looked like ordinary mozzarella sticks, but as I inched closer, two things stood out. First, their encrusted shell leaned more orange than the standard brown, and second, the crust appeared to be perspiring some sort of orange liquid into the paper tray the sticks rested in. I picked one up, and it had a decent weight to it. The crust was pretty straightforward, lightly dusted and fried, and speckled with little flecks of seasoning. Some of the specks were green, perhaps packing little bits of chili peppers.

It's kind of hard to screw up mozzarella sticks. You only need a few things for them to be good: The skin needs to be crunchy and thick enough to keep the interior in check, and the cheese itself must be gooey and have a satisfying pull to it. These Jack in the Box sticks easily accomplished those simple goals upon first bite, and then cemented their existence with additional fun flavoring. With a name like "Sweet Reaper," the resulting taste could mean anything. Luckily, this reaper isn't bringing a fiery death to your mouth. Instead, it just adds a nice lean dash of spice paired with sweetened honey. All those elements added up to one great side dish, although I suggest keeping a few napkins handy, as the sticks' orange "juice" can often be on the loose.

Protein is where all the action is these days. Customers are hungry for it, and all the chains are happy to supply them with endless options to gobble up. Jack in the Box's livelihood mainly leans on products between two slices of bread, but the chain is also following consumer trends. The brand has been offering a Teriyaki Protein Bowl on and off since 1993, and new for 2026, is adding a Fajita Bowl into the mix. Both have up to 35 grams of protein.

The new Fajita Bowl starts with a bed of white or brown rice and is piled with grilled onions, shredded cheddar cheese, corn, black beans, pieces of fried or grilled chicken, and Chipotle Ranch sauce. I was actually rather impressed with this offering's appearance. The orangey-hued chipotle sauce made for an eye-catching glaze, zigzagging across the top of the grilled chicken version I was about to dig in on.

The chicken pieces were cut super thin but had a nice, tender chewiness. The Chipotle Ranch sauce was more oily than saucey, but overall, it didn't really leave a lasting impression. Below the surface of the meat and the sauce, where the bulk of this bowl lies, it was literally nothing to write home about. It felt like a bunch of ingredients hanging out in the same room, but not bothering to break bread together.

Another trendy item dotting menus everywhere these days is smashburgers. A lot of new restaurants have popped up to sling them, but some of the more classic chains have followed suit by smashing down their own patties on a flattop grill. Jack in the Box introduced its version — the wildly popular Smashed Jack — back in early 2024, and these days, it's listed as the headlining entree within the burger submenu on the app. In 2026, the chain is re-imagining its Smashed Jack in a smaller package: sliders that come three per order.

When I think of sliders, the ones that come to mind are the teeny, greasy, oniony, yet deliciously delirious ones that White Castle sells by the sack. The Smash Jack Sliders I saw before me looked nothing like those bitty burgers that Harold and Kumar traveled far and wide for in one of many iconic film moments that featured chain restaurants. These Jack sliders were sneaky big. A beautifully fluffy pair of buns housed the smashed patty, partially melty triangles of American cheese, some nice thick crinkle-cut pickles, and a smattering of Smashed Jack Sauce.

While the Fajita Bowl looked pretty (but lacked the taste to back it up), the Smash Jack Sliders were hitting flavorful home runs from the first bite to the last. There was a lot of bun going on here, but it's a good one, with a softness that balanced well with the burger's burnt edges, and kept all the other ingredients in place for a clean munch. I actually felt that one slider was pretty filling on its own, but I certainly wasn't going to complain to anyone at HQ that there were two more of these beauties on hand for me to take down.

Not to sound like a broken record, but matcha is another trend that everyone and their mother has been trying to make a lot of green on. This year, Jack in the Box is branching out with a matcha platform, and the single cool one I got my hot hands all over was the Oreo Matcha Shake.

Oreo Shakes have long been a fan favorite at the fast food chain. They first graced menus in 1996 and have been making mouths happy for 30 years. I never had the pleasure of drinking one, but I was eager to try the shake with its new matcha partner. From its outward appearance, it looked like a mint chocolate chip shake with a few Oreo crumbles casually sitting atop a mountain of creamy white whip.

After enjoying the mozzarella sticks and the burgers, this shake was almost like the final piece in a truly tasty trifecta. Matcha can be dolled out in many levels, from overly sweet to bitter, but this one came in at the perfect level. The matcha is present, but isn't overpowering. The Oreo cookie bits add both great texture and a welcome chocolatiness to the shake. There was also the added bonus of a purple heart-shaped straw. I literally dare you not to fall in love with it!

After meeting my match-a with the Oreo Matcha Shake, it was time to wrap things up with another shake. It was also an Oreo rendition, but here the focus was the window dressing on top — a lavender cream known as Jack's Birthday Cake Whip Topping. Just looking at it conjures memories of other recent flashy, celebratory-colored shakes, namely McDonald's Grimace Birthday Shake and McDonald's Mt. McDonaldland cotton-candy-like shake.

When it hits menus, Jack's Birthday Cake Whip Topping can be added to any shake. For my initial taste-testing purposes, I decided to zero in on just the whipped topping. It had the same consistency one would expect from any cream that tops a shake. Its flavor immediately made itself well known with my taste buds, with that familiar "birthday cake" saccharine profile ringing true.

That specific birthday cake flavor isn't exactly an acquired taste, but you're either super into it or you're not. I've had my fair share of birthday-cake tasting things that aren't actually cake, and I, for one, may be ready to dip from that kind of party. Regardless of my personal preferences, I applaud the effort, as this is a celebration, after all, and this was the one item literally well dressed for the fête.

My mini-eating festival at Jack's HQ started off on the right foot with those Sweet Reaper Mozzarella Sticks. They packed more sweet than heat, and were reorder-worthy. I get the need for the Chicken Fajita Protein Bowl to grace the menu, but I'm not sure I'm ready for an encore. I simply fell in love with the Smash Jack Sliders. They were delicious and had me wondering what the full-size Smash Jack burgers taste like. If only there were a Jack in the Box in Times Square! While the Jack's Birthday Cake Whip Topping fits the occasion, it's not necessarily a must-add for its shakes. That includes the Oreo Matcha Shake, which was the single best item I tried during my visit, and was punctuated with those adorable heart-shaped straws resting in the cup.

The throwback items were also noteworthy. One is the chain's highly requested 2013 Hot Mess Burger. While not exactly spicy, the super saucy pepper jack cheese is alone worth the price of messy admission. Another is the 1980 Chicken Supreme. On the surface, it doesn't seem all that special, but I was really taken with its grainy whole wheat bun, which would be a great option for any sandwich on Jack's menu. 

A lot is going on at Jack in the Box this year for its 75th birthday, but the best part is that the chain is the one handing out the gifts — in the form of tasty food, drinks, toys, and even prizes. I'm already looking forward to seeing what's in store for year 76 and beyond. Happy birthday, Jack!