Staffing

Jack in the Box CEO resigns; interim principal executive officer named

Photo: Jack in the Box

February 25, 2025

Jack in the Box CEO Darin Harris has resigned to take a position outside of the restaurant industry. The board of directors has appointed EVP and CFO Lance Tucker as interim principal executive officer. Harris will remain as a consultant through March 14, according to a press release.

Tucker has served as the company's CFO since Jan. 13, 2025. He previously served in this same role at Jack in the Box Inc. from March 2018 to Sept. 2020. A restaurant industry veteran with more than 20 years of corporate finance experience, Tucker was the CFO of CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc., the parent company for the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's brands, from Sept. 2020 until Jan. 2022

Prior to joining Jack in the Box Inc. in March 2018 as CFO, Tucker held several senior leadership positions during his combined 14-year tenure at Papa John's International, Inc., including chief financial officer and treasurer, chief administrative officer and senior vice president of strategy and chief of staff.

"On behalf of the company, I want to thank Darin for his contributions as CEO for the past five years," David L. Goebel, chairman of the board, said in the release. "With Lance's multi-faceted, strategic expertise over the last 20 years at the executive level, we are excited to welcome him as the interim CEO. The board is confident in Lance's ability to build upon the existing foundation in a way that balances our growth and financial goals, while ensuring that the company remains competitive in the rapidly evolving quick-service restaurant landscape."

Dawn Hooper, SVP and controller, will assume the role of interim principal financial officer. Hopper has been with Jack in the Box for 24 years in various leadership positions.

Jack in the Box has approximately 600 restaurants across 17 states.