The new french fry boxes on the late-night menu at Jack in the Box. / Jack in the Box The new french fry boxes on the late-night menu at Jack in the Box. / Jack in the Box
Food

New on the Menu: Jack in the Box’s Late-Night Proposition

Jack in the Box is expanding its “french fries in a box” concept to two more potato, fat, and dairy concoctions that would make any cardiologist squirm. In the company’s defense, they’re going to try just about anything to keep their franchisees happy right now. Also in Jack’s defense? It doesn’t have the meal in this installment that must worry doctors the most.

Every few weeks Skift Table will wrap up the latest seasonal and new items on chain restaurant menus in the United States. We don’t call out everything (sorry limited-time Pumpkin Spice something), but we will call out items that are notable for what they mean to a chain, the season, or consumer habits.

Jack in the Box

Cheesy Burger Fries

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Fries

How Much: $3
When: Limited time only
Where: Participating locations
Health: 680 calories and 44 grams of fat
Skift Table Take: Jack in the Box calls these menu items “sauced and loaded” which is also likely a fitting description of any patron who chooses to order these dishes from the chain’s late-night menu. From the advertisement it’s clear who these things are targeted at. “When you’re up late night binging video games… ” begins the ad spot, before launching into close ups of the two menu items and a conversation between the Jack mascot and a cartoon robot. They join similar dishes that are also potatoes stuffed in a box, including Chili Cheese Curly Fries.
See more from Jack in the Box.

Wendy’s

Bacon Maple Chicken Sandwich

How Much: $5.60
When: Limited time only
Where: Participating locations
Health: 680 calories and 34 grams of fat
Skift Table Take: Fried chicken is a wonderful thing and so are croissants. Not to mention bacon. And they’re even better when they don’t meet up and try to combine to form a breakfast sandwich, as Wendy’s is trying to do here. The chain calls it an “artisan bread masterpiece” but we don’t understand why they’re doing a retread of Burger King’s Croissan’wich here when they already have some of the better fried chicken sandwiches in the fast food game. We don’t expect this LTO to last long.
Read more from Wendy’s.

Subway

Ultimate Meatball Marinara

Ultimate Spicy Italian

How Much: $5.49-7.49
When: Limited time only
Where: Participating restaurants
Health: 730 calories and 45 or 52 grams of fat (six inch); 1450 calories and 91 or 103 grams of fat (foot long)
Skift Table Take: These are not the type of sandwiches that helped Jared loose that weight. In fact, they make Jack in the Box’s boxes of late night fries and cheese look downright healthy. Subway is promoting its Ultimate Cheesy Garlic Bread — a mix of buttered buns at six- and twelve-inch lengths and covered in garlic and cheese — with two types of fillings that near the recommended daily calorie limit of a healthy human and far surpass the fat recommendation. Big messy subs may be Subway’s future, but we don’t see any strategy at play at the brand right now other than “let’s try anything.”
Read more from Subway.

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