# What the Hell, Jack in the Box? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 1, 2025, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459 "2025-04-01T18:37:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/61 "2025-04-03T01:49:49Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > > [@Pleonast](#): > > > > And more importantly, from a prescriptivist’s point of view, is that the original meaning is a “small item served before the course”, while other meanings are later misuses of the word. > > I lean kinda sorta prescriptive. When did the meaning change? Not challenging anyone, just wondering how I missed it these last 58 years. Wiktionary cites 1887 for the original definition in American usage. No cite for earliest use of the later definition. > **[entrée - Wiktionary, the free dictionary](https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/entr%C3%A9e#Noun)** ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/62 "2025-04-03T01:56:43Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > You didn’t show the first definition. That’s not sporting. Eh? I was giving the British definition, which is what was requested with the call out to “non-North American users”, no? Or I completely missed the point of your post. Nobody is saying “entree” means “appetizer” in US English, so it’d be pointless to give that definition, especially as it already has been given. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/63 "2025-04-03T02:01:35Z")
Doesn’t Entree’ mean _enter_ in some form? So yeah, just serve it where you want it. Enter it in. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/64 "2025-04-03T02:04:50Z")
My post also included the U.K. definition from several sources. In each case, including your example, the U.K. definition of entre’e is always listed second, i.e., a secondary definition. I ask prescriptivists, “Why is entre’e incorrect in a North American restaurant?” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/65 "2025-04-03T02:06:33Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > My post also included the U.K. definition from several sources. In each case, including your example, the U.K. definition of entre’e is always listed second, i.e., a secondary definition. No, it lists the primary US definition, as marked by the “US” and then it lists the primary UK definition, as marked by the “UK.” That doesn’t mean it’s a secondary definition. It means it’s the primary UK definition, just like the US one is the primary US definition. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/66 "2025-04-03T05:58:24Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > My post also included the U.K. definition from several sources. In each case, including your example, the U.K. definition of entre’e is always listed second, i.e., a secondary definition. > > I ask prescriptivists, “Why is entre’e incorrect in a North American restaurant?” I wouldn’t say it is. I _would_ say that characterizing a hamburger stand as a _restaurant_ is a little hoity-toity for my taste. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/67 "2025-04-03T08:03:57Z")
I worked at Jack in the Box for six years and was a restaurant manager for about half of that time. It’s a lot more expensive than it used to be, and the burgers aren’t as great as they used to be IMO (though they’re still good), but I still do love those tacos and stuffed jalapenos. So if anyone wants any 15-to-20-year-old inside dirt on the place, I’ve got it. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/68 "2025-04-03T08:48:01Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > It’s a lot more expensive than it used to be, You don’t have to tell me. I was running late to go to work Tuesday evening, and didn’t have time to fix myself dinner, so I stopped at JitB and got the lowest-priced standalone sandwich on the menu board. $7.99 for a sourdough Jack. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/69 "2025-04-03T09:02:31Z")
After the e.coli scandal in the early '90s, Jack corporate bought out almost all of its franchises and started running all the restaurants directly. That was part of why they were able to keep low prices for so long in the early to mid-2000s; $1.29 Jumbo Jack, 2 tacos for 99 cents, Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger for $3.99. After the recession in 2008-2009 they decided to start selling everything off to franchises again, which was when I got let go. As soon as they took over the prices got jacked up by two to three times what it had been before, and inflation since then has only made it hurt harder. ---
**Author:** ![Boudicca90](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boudicca90/32/16818_2.png) [@Boudicca90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boudicca90)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/70 "2025-04-03T22:23:21Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I liek Jack’s tacos, curly fries and eggrolls. There isnt always such a line at In&out, especially if you just walk in I find that going inside isn’t much faster in my experience. Especially how much time it takes to even park considering the spaces are typically taken up. The only time I will go there is an hour or two before they close, it is the only way I can get my fast food actually fast. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/71 "2025-04-03T22:44:18Z")
Clearly it depends on where you live. IME around the country there are In’n’Outs with lines routinely around the block and those routinely with no waiting. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/72 "2025-04-03T23:58:41Z")
> [@Boudicca90](#): > > I find that going inside isn’t much faster in my experience. Well, I eat there at a table. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/73 "2025-04-04T00:05:01Z")
The one’s I’m familiar with just have those uncomfortable outdoor round concrete tables and benches. Mind you, I haven’t been to an In-n-Out in about a decade. The Habit is pretty much the same thing without the lines and with better milkshakes. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/74 "2025-04-04T03:38:44Z")
I love In-N-Out. I lived in the South Bay for 20 years, so I’m used to the lines. The closest one to me now is the one outside Salem, OR. That one is absolutely insane. A line and a wait is one thing, but having to fight to get a table is too much. The Jack In The Box location in my town shut down recently. That one was terrible, couldn’t seem to make a good Sourdough Jack, which is one of the best fast food burgers out there. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/75 "2025-04-04T03:41:16Z")
> [@Boudicca90](#): > > I find that going inside isn’t much faster in my experience. Especially how much time it takes to even park considering the spaces are typically taken up. The only time I will go there is an hour or two before they close, it is the only way I can get my fast food actually fast. These days, ordering with the app before you get to the restaurant is the best way to deal with fast food. Put your order in 5-10 minutes before you’ll get there and you can just walk in, grab it, and go. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/76 "2025-04-04T03:42:50Z")
Sonic never has a line, except after highschool ball games. And they have corndogs!! Yay! ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/77 "2025-04-04T03:55:49Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > These days, ordering with the app before you get to the restaurant is the best way to deal with fast food. Put your order in 5-10 minutes before you’ll get there and you can just walk in, grab it, and go. In and Out doesn’t have an app. You can only order in person at the location. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/78 "2025-04-04T04:50:40Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The Habit is pretty much the same thing without the lines and with better milkshakes. And the oppressive Christianity; don’t forget that. In case anyone isn’t aware, there’s very little daylight between In-n-Out and Chick- fil-a, faith wise. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/79 "2025-04-04T05:03:13Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > In and Out doesn’t have an app. I suppose that makes sense for a place as busy and with as small a menu as In-n-Out has - you’ve got things streamlined to where an app would just be redundant. A place with as large and schizophrenic a menu as Jack in the Box? Ordering ahead is the best way to minimize the time you spend waiting for your order of egg rolls, tacos, a double cheeseburger, a Tex-Mex chicken gyro, Buffalo wings, a slice of cheesecake, and a Red Bull boba tea. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459/80 "2025-04-04T07:04:06Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > In case anyone isn’t aware, there’s very little daylight between In-n-Out and Chick- fil-a, faith wise. The fact that In-n-Out is open on Sunday suggests otherwise. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-jack-in-the-box/1016459.md?page=5)