Jack in the Box Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2021 Earnings

Systemwide sales growth of +10.6%

Same store sales growth +10.2%

Net units down -1.1%

Diluted EPS up +26.1% to $1.79

Company provides updates to 2021 guidance measures

Company provides CapEx & Other Investments guidance range for 2022

Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) announced financial results for the third quarter ended July 4, 2021, comprised of growth in systemwide sales, system same store sales and earnings per share.

"I am very pleased with our third quarter results, and proud of the continued momentum and execution from our franchisees and operators,” said Darin Harris, Jack in the Box Chief Executive Officer. “Comps on a two-year basis of +16.8%, coupled with solid earnings performance, are all part of creating the store-level profitability that will help us maximize our growth and expansion opportunities going forward.”

Systemwide sales increased 10.6% in the third quarter, comprised of positive results in same store sales and a slight decline in net unit growth. The company had a third quarter net store decline of 9 stores, comprised of 4 store openings and 13 closures – with 7 closings that include future offsetting locations, and the remainder related to agreement expirations. In the third quarter, there were development agreements signed for 60 future restaurants, bringing the year-to-date total to 64 future restaurants.

Company-operated same-store sales grew 9.0% in the third quarter, with evenly-balanced contribution from both transactions and average check. Franchise same-store sales grew 10.3%, with similar trends in both average check and transactions.

Same-store sales:

Restaurant Counts:

Third quarter diluted earnings per share was $1.79, up 26.1% over the prior year quarter. Total revenues increased 11.2% to $269.5 million, compared to $242.3 million in the comparable period ended July 5, 2020, driven by 10.2% growth in system same-store sales. Net earnings increased to $40.0 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2021, compared with $32.6 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2020. Adjusted EBITDA⁽¹⁾, a non-GAAP measure, was $79.0 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2021 compared with $72.9 million for the prior year quarter.

Restaurant-Level Margin⁽²⁾, a non-GAAP measure, remained flat at 25.4% of company restaurant sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2021 from a year ago. Sales leverage was offset by an increase in food and packaging costs, wage inflation of 8%, higher incentive compensation as well as an increase in delivery fees and maintenance and repair costs. The increase in food and packaging costs were primarily driven by higher costs for ingredients, partially offset by favorable sales mix and menu price increases. Commodity costs increased in the quarter by approximately 5.7%, primarily due to increases in pork and beverages, partially offset by a decrease in beef.

Franchise-Level Margin⁽²⁾, a non-GAAP measure, increased by $10.5 million in the third quarter, primarily driven by higher royalties and rental revenues as a result of higher franchise same-store sales.

(1) Adjusted EBITDA represents net earnings on a GAAP basis excluding income taxes, interest expense, net, gains or losses on the sale of company-operated restaurants, impairment and other charges, net, depreciation and amortization, the amortization of franchise tenant improvement allowances and other, and pension settlement charges. See "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measurements to GAAP Results."

(2) Restaurant-Level Margin and Franchise-Level Margin are non-GAAP measures. These non-GAAP measures are reconciled to earnings from operations, the most comparable GAAP measure, in the attachment to this release. See "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measurements to GAAP Results."

Capital Allocation

The company repurchased 0.6 million shares of our common stock for an aggregate cost of $65.0 million. As of July 4, 2021, there was $70.0 million remaining under the Board-authorized stock buyback program which expire in November 2022.

On July 30, 2021, the Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.44 per share on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable on September 3, 2021, to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 18, 2021.

Updates to 2021 Guidance Measures

The following guidance and underlying assumptions reflect the company’s current expectations for the current fiscal year ending October 3, 2021 (which, this year, includes 53 weeks):

• 2021 CapEx of $40-45 million
  • Previously stated at Investor Day on June 29, 2021 — and does not include the Other Investments stated below which commence with our 2022 guidance
• 2021 G&A of $71-76 million
  • Replaces previous % of system sales guidance, and excludes net COLI gains/losses
• 2021 Commodity outlook up 4-5% compared to 2020
  • Previous guidance was up 1-3%
• 2021 Labor Cost outlook up 7-8% compared to 2020
  • Previous guidance was up 5-6%

The Company will provide similar guidance measures for FY 2022 on its Q4 2021 earnings call.

CapEx & Other Investments Guidance for 2022

The following guidance range and underlying assumptions reflect the company’s current expectations for the fiscal year ending October 2, 2022:

• 2022 CapEx & Other Investments: $65-75 million
• Note: Beginning in 2022, CapEx & Other Investments guidance factors in two main items:
  • Capital expenditures (located within cash flows from investing activities)
  • Franchise tenant improvement allowances and incentives (located within cash flows from operating activities)

Conference Call

The company will host a conference call for analysts and investors on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, beginning at 2:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. ET). The call will be webcast live via the Investors section of the Jack in the Box company website at http://investors.jackinthebox.com. A replay of the call will be available through the Jack in the Box Inc. corporate website for 21 days. The call can be accessed via phone by dialing (833) 513-0565 and using ID 2691153.

About Jack in the Box Inc.

Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK), founded and headquartered in San Diego, California, is a restaurant company that operates and franchises Jack in the Box^® restaurants, one of the nation’s largest hamburger chains, with more than 2,200 restaurants in 21 states and Guam. For more information on Jack in the Box, including franchising opportunities, visit www.jackinthebox.com

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goals,” “guidance,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “may,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions. These statements are based on management’s current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our business and the industry in which we operate. These estimates and assumptions involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that are in some cases beyond our control. Factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the potential impacts to our business and operations resulting from the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the success of new products, marketing initiatives and restaurant remodels and drive-thru enhancements; the impact of competition, unemployment, trends in consumer spending patterns and commodity costs; the company's ability to reduce G&A and operate efficiently; the company’s ability to achieve and manage its planned growth, which is affected by the availability of a sufficient number of suitable new restaurant sites, the performance of new restaurants, risks relating to expansion into new markets and successful franchise development; the ability to attract, train and retain top-performing personnel, litigation risks; risks associated with disagreements with franchisees; supply chain disruption; food-safety incidents or negative publicity impacting the reputation of the company's brand; increased regulatory and legal complexities, including federal, state and local policies regarding mitigation strategies for controlling the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, risks associated with the amount and terms of the securitized debt issued by certain of our wholly owned subsidiaries; and stock market volatility. These and other factors are discussed in the company’s annual report on Form 10-K and its periodic reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available online at http://investors.jackinthebox.com or in hard copy upon request. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as the result of new information or otherwise.

JACK IN THE BOX INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

The following table presents certain income and expense items included in our condensed consolidated statements of earnings as a percentage of total revenues, unless otherwise indicated. Percentages may not add due to rounding.

The following table summarizes the year-to-date changes in the number and mix of Jack in the Box company and franchise restaurants:

JACK IN THE BOX INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP MEASUREMENTS TO GAAP RESULTS

(Unaudited)

To supplement the consolidated financial statements, which are presented in accordance with GAAP, the company uses the following non-GAAP measures: Adjusted EBITDA, Restaurant-Level Margin and Franchise-Level Margin. Management believes that these measurements, when viewed with the company's results of operations in accordance with GAAP and the accompanying reconciliations in the tables below, provide useful information about operating performance and period-over-period changes, and provide additional information that is useful for evaluating the operating performance of the company's core business without regard to potential distortions.

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA represents net earnings on a GAAP basis excluding earnings from discontinued operations, income taxes, interest expense, net, gains or losses on the sale of company-operated restaurants, impairment and other charges (gains), net, depreciation and amortization, the amortization of franchise tenant improvement allowances and incentives, and pension settlement charges. Adjusted EBITDA should be considered as a supplement to, not as a substitute for, analysis of results as reported under U.S. GAAP or other similarly titled measures of other companies. Management believes Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors to gain an understanding of the factors and trends affecting the company's ongoing cash earnings, from which capital investments are made and debt is serviced. Below is a reconciliation of non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, net earnings (in thousands).

Restaurant-Level Margin

Restaurant-Level Margin is defined as company restaurant sales less restaurant operating costs (food and packaging, labor, and occupancy costs) and is neither required by, nor presented in accordance with GAAP. Restaurant-Level Margin excludes revenues and expenses of our franchise operations and certain costs, such as selling, general, and administrative expenses, depreciation and amortization, impairment and other charges (gains), net, gains or losses on the sale of company-operated restaurants, and other costs that are considered normal operating costs. As such, Restaurant-Level Margin is not indicative of the overall results of the company and does not accrue directly to the benefit of shareholders because of the exclusion of corporate-level expenses. Restaurant-Level Margin should be considered as a supplement to, not as a substitute for, analysis of results as reported under GAAP or other similarly titled measures of other companies. The company is presenting Restaurant-Level Margin because it believes that it provides a meaningful supplement to net earnings of the company's core business operating results, as well as a comparison to those of other similar companies. Management utilizes Restaurant-Level Margin as a key performance indicator to evaluate the profitability of company-owned restaurants.

Below is a reconciliation of non-GAAP Restaurant-Level Margin to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, earnings from operations (in thousands):

Franchise-Level Margin

Franchise-Level Margin is defined as franchise revenues less franchise operating costs (occupancy expenses, advertising contributions, and franchise support and other costs) and is neither required by, nor presented in accordance with GAAP. Franchise-Level Margin excludes revenue and expenses of our company-operated restaurants and certain costs, such as selling, general, and administrative expenses, depreciation and amortization, impairment and other charges (gains), net, and other costs that are considered normal operating costs. As such, Franchise-Level Margin is not indicative of the overall results of the company and does not accrue directly to the benefit of shareholders because of the exclusion of corporate-level expenses. Franchise-Level Margin should be considered as a supplement to, not as a substitute for, analysis of results as reported under GAAP or other similarly titled measures of other companies. The company is presenting Franchise-Level Margin because it believes that it provides a meaningful supplement to net earnings of the company's core business operating results, as well as a comparison to those of other similar companies. Management utilizes Franchise-Level Margin as a key performance indicator to evaluate the profitability of our franchise operations.

Below is a reconciliation of non-GAAP Franchise-Level Margin to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, earnings from operations (in thousands):

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