Jack in the Box closes an Everett store as its cull continues
The Washington location shut on 10 October, one of up to 200 restaurants the chain plans to close under a two-year plan that has already cost it its dividend.
Jack in the Box closed its restaurant at 1505 SE Everett Mall Way in Everett, Washington, on 10 October, according to a state WARN filing, cutting 24 jobs as part of a wider closure plan the company calls JACK on Track. Staff were notified on 11 August, two months ahead of the shutdown, the filing shows.
The Everett closure is one piece of a plan the company announced in April 2025, targeting 150 to 200 underperforming restaurants for closure in two phases, most of them open more than 30 years and concentrated in markets where newer, smaller-format restaurants already cover the same trade area. FinanceBuzz, tracking the rollout, counted 72 closures in 2025 and roughly 40 more through 2026, with 10 to 20 further closures expected before the fiscal year ends.
A dividend traded for debt paydown
A plan that has already cost the chain its dividend, with debt paydown now the priority.
JACK on Track also ended the company's dividend, which had paid out $1.76 a share annually, a yield of nearly 7% at the time. The company said most of the freed cash would go toward reducing debt, with the remainder funding share buybacks. Jack in the Box's shares fell 6% in after-hours trading when the plan was announced, and fiscal 2025 same-store sales fell 4.2% for the Jack in the Box brand and 3.7% for sister chain Del Taco.
A second Washington closure already set
A second Washington location, at 8829 S 180th St in Kent, is scheduled to close on 2 December, affecting 15 more employees, according to a WARN filing dated 5 October. Jack in the Box's retreat echoes a wider pullback in US chain dining: Denny's has also been closing diners this year, while UK chains face their own reckoning — Honest Burgers shut its Smash + Grab site this week. The company has not said how many closures remain once the current fiscal year ends, though FinanceBuzz expects the pace to carry into 2027 and 2028 rather than finish on schedule.
