Jack in the Box said that Darin Harris has resigned as CEO to pursue a career outside the restaurant industry, but will remain as a consultant in the company through March 14.
The board has appointed EVP and CFO Lance Tucker as interim principal executive officer.
Tucker had been a CFO in various companies including Davidson Hospitality Group, CKE Restaurants, and Papa John’s International.
“With Lance’s multi-faceted, strategic expertise over the last 20 years at the executive level, we are excited to welcome him as the interim CEO,” said David L Goebel, Jack in the Box chairman.
“The board is confident in Lance’s ability to build upon the existing foundation in a way that balances our growth and financial goals, while ensuring that the company remains competitive in the rapidly evolving quick-service restaurant landscape.”
The company has named SVP and controller Dawn Hooper as interim principal officer. Hooper has been with Jack in the Box for 24 years and had held several finance leadership roles over the years.
On Tuesday, Jack in the Box reported same-store sales growth of 0.4 and a 4.5 per cent decline in Del Taco same-store sales.
“The first quarter saw a good start to top-line performance and bottom-line earnings flow through as we battled through a difficult industry-wide macro environment,” said Tucker. “In my new role, I will be continuing to assess capital allocation, investments and ways to accelerate free cash flow – all while executing on our fundamentals to ensure we regain our sales momentum as we move through 2025.”
Last November, Jack in the Box said its expansion was running at the highest rate in a decade.
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