---
title: "The Jack Is Out Of The Box: Jack in the Box CEO Announces His Departure"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/7c7e7b68-57bd-49cc-b416-5b1ab3526437
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/the-jack-is-out-of-the-box-jack-in-the-box-ceo-announces-his-departure-2711841
category: "Burger"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Burger"
topics: ["People"]
published: 2019-12-12T20:15:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:28:56.907Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/4e09c10c85182deb247e7bf046361b9b9093.jpg
---

# The Jack Is Out Of The Box: Jack in the Box CEO Announces His Departure

**TL;DR:** Jack in the Box CEO Lenny Comma announces his departure from the company after 18 years, citing his pride in the company's accomplishments during his tenure. Comma has been with Jack in the Box for 18 years, spending the last six of them as its CEO and board chairman.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2019-12-12. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/the-jack-is-out-of-the-box-jack-in-the-box-ceo-announces-his-departure-2711841).*

## Story

**It seems as though 2019 has been** **chock-full of CEOs leaving their respective companies****. From Adam Neumann leaving WeWork, to Nike’s Mark Parker and Papa John’s John Schnatter. Not to mention the fiasco with** **McDonald’s ex CEO Steve Easterbrook****.**

**As of Wednesday, December 11, 2019, Jack in the Box CEO Lenny Comma also announced plans of departure from the chain, according to** **Nation’s Restaurant News** **(NRN). Comma has been with Jack in the Box for the last 18 years, spending the last six of them as its CEO and board chairman.**

**“I’m proud of what the company has been able to accomplish during my tenure as Chairman and CEO,” Comma said in a press statement. “Since 2014, we’ve sold Qdoba, finished our evolution to an asset-light brand by completing our refranchising efforts, gone through a rigorous strategic alternative process, completed a very complex $1.3 billion securitization transaction, dramatically strengthened our operations leadership bench, and recently concluded our ninth straight year of system same-store sales growth.”**

**Although his tenure and positive benchmarks with the brand, a lot of franchisees have criticized Comma for “not doing enough to reverse declining sales,” according to NRN.**

**Comma’s announcement may have something to do with the tensions that rose between the** **National Jack in the Box Franchise Association** **and the chain when the group announced a vote of no confidence for Comma and his leadership team, NRN says. The association represents 89% of Jack in the Box operators who own about 1,900 restaurants, it adds.**

**A succession plan is now underway to identify his successor and according to NRN, Comma says he’s committed to working with the board to help identify the best person for the job.**

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- McDonald's (company)
- Papa Johns (company)
- Jack in the Box (company)
- Qdoba (company)
- Nike (company)
- franchisee relations (topic)
- WeWork (company)
- company performance (topic)
- ceo departure (topic)
- Qdoba acquisition of Jack in the Box (deal)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/the-jack-is-out-of-the-box-jack-in-the-box-ceo-announces-his-departure-2711841). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/7c7e7b68-57bd-49cc-b416-5b1ab3526437).