Jack in the Box CEO Darin Harris to step down for new role outside restaurant industry

USA – Jack in the Box, a US-based restaurant chain, has announced that its CEO, Darin Harris, will step down to take on a new role outside the restaurant industry.

To ensure a smooth leadership transition at Jack in the Box, the outgoing CEO will remain on board as a consultant until March 14, 2025.

Beginning February 24, Lance Tucker, the company’s executive vice-president and chief financial officer, is set to assume the role of interim principal executive officer.

Tucker brings two decades of corporate finance experience in the restaurant industry and has served as CFO at Jack in the Box since January 13, 2025.

Before returning to Jack in the Box, he held the CFO role at CKE Restaurants Holdings, the parent company of the Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s brands, from September 2020 to January 2022.

In addition, Tucker spent fourteen years at Papa John’s International, where he occupied several senior leadership roles including CFO, treasurer, chief administrative officer, and senior vice-president of strategy and chief of staff.

During his tenure as interim CEO, the company will designate Dawn Hooper, senior vice president and controller, as the interim principal financial officer.

With over two decades of association with the brand, Hooper has held multiple senior finance positions and previously served as principal financial officer on three separate occasions, the latest being from November 2024 to January 2025.

Jack in the Box board chairman David Goebel expressed gratitude for the contributions of the former CEO over the past five years.

He reported that the board is excited about Tucker’s appointment because of his extensive strategic expertise.

Goebel added that the board is confident in Tucker’s ability to build on the existing foundation, balance growth with financial objectives, and keep the company competitive in the rapidly evolving quick-service restaurant sector.

In February 2025, Jack in the Box introduced the Big Smashed Jack burger, an enhanced version of its original Smashed Jack.

The new burger offers nearly three times as much beef as a leading competitor’s product and features two quarter-pound smashed patties, American cheese, fresh toppings, and a special sauce served on a triple brioche bun.

This product launch underscores the company’s commitment to innovation and its drive to offer customers an exceptional dining experience.

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