Dinner in the Box was a packaged dinner meal served at Jack in the Box in the 1980s. Available between the hours of 4 p.m. and 10 p.m., there were three entrées to choose from: five chicken strips, 15 fried shrimp with cocktail sauce, or sirloin steak served as an open-faced sandwich with barbeque or A.1. Sauce. Each entrée was served in a cardboard take-out box with a garden salad (including a choice of dressing), garlic bread, and wedge fries.[1]
Development[]
Dinner in the Box was part of Jack in the Box's efforts to cater to an older, more affluent "yuppie" demographic with a higher-quality, more upscale menu.[2] It was initially tested in 1982 in the Austin, Texas region, featuring beef strips instead of sirloin steak.[3]
The product was introduced chainwide in 1983.[4] As a promotion, Jack in the Box launched a sweepstakes with the grand prize being a 1983 Mustang GLX convertible.[5] At the end of the year, purchase of a Dinner in the Box came with a free steak knife.[6]
Dinner in the Box was discontinued in 1988 alongside nachos, the Pizza Pocket, and the Pasta Seafood Salad.[7]
Advertising[]
A few commercials for Dinner in the Box featured spokesman Dan Gilvezan wearing a tuxedo to emphasize the upscale nature of the product.
Gallery[]
Reception[]
A reviewer for the Tuscon Citizen deemed the steak "about the equal of the low-buck franchise steak house stuff" and the chicken "reminiscent of McSomething or other."[8]
References[]
- ↑ Smith, Jacob. "8 Jack In The Box Menu Items From The 1980s You Probably Forgot About." The Daily Meal. June 21, 2024.
- ↑ Kraul, Chris. "Jack in the Box Gets Jump on Rivals by Going Its Own Way." Los Angeles Times. October 13, 1987.
- ↑ Newspaper advertisement. Austin American-Statesman. July 25, 1982.
- ↑ Newspaper advertisement. The Fresno Bee. March 6, 1983.
- ↑ Newspaper advertisement. Austin American-Statesman. February 13, 1983.
- ↑ Newspaper advertisement. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. December 11, 1983.
- ↑ Kragen, Pam. "Not clowning around anymore." Daily Times-Advocate. July 10, 1988.
- ↑ Smith, Jeff. "Jack-in-the-Box Restaurants." Tuscon Citizen. August 2, 1984.