July 12, 2025
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Jack in the Box eyes 2nd spot in Joliet, may want more

Would open on Jefferson St. and Rt. 59

By Bob Okon
Jack in the Box at at 2101 S. Route 59 in Plainfield, will open in July, according to the Jack in the Box website. The free-standing sign to the new restaurant is seen on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.

Jack in the Box plans to open at 2101 S. Route 59 in Joliet this month and now is eying a second Joliet site on Jefferson Street. (Eric Schelkopf)

Jack in the Box, the giant fast-food chain that plans to open one Joliet location this month as part of its Chicago-area expansion, is looking at a second spot in the city on Jefferson Street and maybe more.

The Joliet City Council on Tuesday will consider a drive-thru permit for Jack in the Box at a former Arby’s restaurant at 2307 W. Jefferson St.

Jack in the Box already is preparing to open at another former Arby’s spot at 2101 Rt. 59. The location has a Plainfield postal address but is located in the city of Joliet, which has led to it variably being reported as being in Joliet or Plainfield.

The Jack in the Box website says the Route 59 location will open this month.

A franchisee wants to open a Jack in the Box at the Jefferson Street location on Sept. 1 or “shortly after,” according to a letter to the city from the architectural firm working on the project.

A fence was put up and signage was taken down at Arby’s on Route 59 on Monday July 1, 2024 in Plainfield.

A former Arby's location on Rt. 59 in Joliet is being converted into a Jack in the Box location scheduled to open this month. (Gary Middendorf)

“The property is in excellent condition, requiring only minor cosmetic re-branding to meet the deadline,” states the letter from Hemal Purohit with Purohit Architects in Inverness.

Purohit said the Jefferson Street site has “conditional approval” from Jack in the Box.

But it could lead to more Joliet locations for the California-based chain, which has more than 2,200 restaurants.

“A successful opening would secure the rights to two additional Jack in the Box locations in Joliet, with the potential for further expansion.” Purohit said.

The letter is posted with the council agenda on the city website, joliet.gov.

The last Jack in the Box in Joliet was located in the 1970s in downtown Joliet at this spot, which became Chicken-N-Spice before it closed in 2021. The building has since been demolished. (Bob Okon)

Jack in the Box “is aggressively expanding into the Midwest, beginning with Chicagoland,” Purohit said.

That expansion includes a New Lenox location scheduled to open in August at 672 E. Lincoln Hwy.

The return of Jack in the Box to the Chicago area has made news in regional media.

Jack in the Box had a restaurant in downtown Joliet more than 40 years ago.

The Chicago Street location did business from 1968 until at least the late 1970s. The building was taken over by Chicken-N-Spice, which grew to become a local fast-food favorite before closing at that location in 2021.

Chicken-N-Spice continues to do business in Shorewood.

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