SAN DIEGO — Jack in the Box Inc. recognized the achievements of several franchise operators during the company's annual franchisee conference, which was held last week in Lake Tahoe, Calif. Awards were presented for Franchisee of the Year (both system and regional) and Developer of the Year.
Jack in the Box, which is 41-percent franchise operated, is pursuing a strategic initiative to expand its franchise operations through the sale of company-operated restaurants to franchisees and the development of new franchised restaurants. The company says it is on track with its long-term goal to increase franchise ownership to approximately 70 percent to 80 percent of its system.
The franchisees earning top awards this year included:
Franchisee of the Year – Fred Gibby, operator of 15 restaurants in Central California
Developer of the Year – Adam Gonzales, operator of 22 restaurants in the Reno, Nev., area and in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Regional Franchisees of the Year –
- Pranee Lin, operator of two restaurants in Orange County, Calif.
- Sudesh Sood, operator of 42 restaurants in Los Angeles and Central California
- Mike Norwich, operator of 10 restaurants in El Paso, Texas, and Las Cruces, N.M.
- Millie Wang, operator of nine restaurants in the San Jose, Calif., area
- Deepak Mehta, operator of nine restaurants in Northern California
- John Maki, operator of eight restaurants in the Los Angeles area
- Steve Stine, operator of 28 restaurants in the Phoenix area
