UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 10-K ☑ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED September 27, 2020 ☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM ________ TO ________. COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 1-9390 _________________________________________________________ JACK IN THE BOX INC. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) _________________________________________________________ Delaware 95-2698708 (State of Incorporation) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) 9357 Spectrum Center Blvd. San Diego, California 92123 (Address of principal executive offices) 9330 Balboa Avenue San Diego, California 92123 (Former name or former address, if changed since last report) Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (858) 571-2121 Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered Common Stock, $0.01 par value JACK NASDAQ Global Select Market Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes þ No ¨ Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ¨ No þ Indicate by check mark if the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No ¨ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulations S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes þ No ¨ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Large accelerated filer ☑ Accelerated filer ☐ Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐ Emerging growth company ☐ If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).Yes ☐ No ☑ The aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, computed by reference to the closing price reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market — Composite Transactions as of April 10, 2020, was approximately $1.0 billion. Number of shares of common stock, $0.01 par value, outstanding as of the close of business on November 12, 2020 — 22,722,941. DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE Portions of the Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III hereof. JACK IN THE BOX INC. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PART I Item 1. Business 3 Item 1A. Risk Factors 8 Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 21 Item 2. Properties 22 Item 3. Legal Proceedings 22 Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 23 Information about our Executive Officers 23 PART II Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 25 Item 6. Selected Financial Data 27 Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 28 Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 38 Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 38 Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 39 Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 39 Item 9B. Other Information 42 PART III Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 42 Item 11. Executive Compensation 42 Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters 42 Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence 43 Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 43 PART IV Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules 43 Item 16. Form 10-K Summary 45 1 FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS From time to time, we make oral and written forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations regarding future results of operations, economic performance, financial condition, and achievements of Jack in the Box Inc. (the “Company”). A forward-looking statement is neither a prediction nor a guarantee of future events or results. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goals,” “guidance,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions. Certain forward-looking statements are included in this Form 10-K, principally in the sections captioned “Business,” “Legal Proceedings,” “Consolidated Financial Statements,” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” including statements regarding our strategic plans and operating strategies. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such expectations and forward-looking statements may prove to be materially incorrect due to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. In some cases, information regarding certain important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement appears together with such statement. In addition, the factors described under “Risk Factors” and “Discussion of Critical Accounting Estimates” in this Form 10-K, as well as other possible factors not listed, could cause our actual results, economic performance, financial condition or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. As a result, investors should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. The Company is under no obligation to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or otherwise. 2 PART I Unless otherwise specified in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Annual Report”), or the context requires, Jack in the Box Inc.(NASDAQ: JACK) is referred to as the “Company,” “Jack in the Box,” or in the first-person notations of “we,” “us” and “our.” ITEM 1. BUSINESS General Jack in the Box Inc., based in San Diego, California, operates and franchises Jack in the Box® quick-service restaurants (“QSRs”). We opened our first restaurant in 1951 and have since become one of the nation’s largest hamburger chains. Based on number of restaurants, our top 10 major markets comprise approximately 70% of the total system, and Jack in the Box is at least the second largest QSR hamburger chain in eight of those major markets. As of September 27, 2020, we operated and franchised 2,241 Jack in the Box quick-service restaurants, primarily in the western and southern United States, including one in Guam. Of the 2,241 restaurants at fiscal year-end, 2,097, or 94%, were franchised. The Company operates as a single segment for reporting purposes. Our revenue is derived from sales by company-operated restaurants and by charging royalties, rent, advertising fees, and franchise and other fees to our franchisees. Strategy Our long-term goals are focused on meeting evolving customer needs, with an emphasis on improving operations consistency and targeted investments designed to maximize our returns. The key initiatives of our long-term goals include: • Simplifying Restaurant Operations - We will continue focusing on redefining and elevating the guest experience to drive consistency through back-of- the-house simplification, including kitchen equipment / technology that can drive higher throughput, improved quality, and labor cost benefits. • Differentiating Through Innovation - We will continue focusing on what makes us different by balancing premium and value innovation and leveraging our unique brand personality to differentiate creatively and focus on our core customer. • Expanding our Brand Footprint - We are focused on growing units in existing, developing and new markets, primarily through franchise restaurants. • Enhancing the Guest Experience - We are focused on targeted investments designed to maximize our returns while meeting the evolving needs of our customers to drive a consistent experience and brand image in our restaurants and across digital platforms through leveraging technology such as our mobile application to meet the evolving needs of our customers and improve in-store efficiencies. Our Brand Jack in the Box restaurants offer a broad selection of distinctive products