Van Ingram, vice president of franchise development for Jack in the Box and Del Taco
As the vice president of franchise development for Jack in the Box and Del Taco, Van Ingram works with two large quick-service chains that together have more than 2,800 global locations. He has 30 years of experience selling franchise territories and launching new markets for several brands including Golden Corral, Taco John’s, Arby’s, Captain D’s and Quiznos, and for Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill. He also held senior franchise development roles at Valvoline and Launch Entertainment, operators of Launch Trampoline Park.
Ingram recently spoke with Franchise Times about his work for Jack in the Box and Del Taco, and shared his thoughts about franchise development. The following comments have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Let’s start with Jack in the Box, which landed at No. 27 on the Franchise Times Top 400. In terms of development deals, how did 2023 go for the brand?
We opened 20 new Jack in the Box units during our fiscal year that ended on October 1, 2023. We signed commitments for another 123 new Jack units, and those are going to be developed over the next, let’s call it, two to seven years. Right in that range. Since early 2021 we have signed a total of 389 commitments for Jack restaurants. So, we’re seeing tremendous momentum with that brand.
Our growth is a mix of current markets where we have a core strength, like California, with over 900 locations there, and then a few other core areas, Arkansas and Florida, for more growth. Then there was the deal we signed at the start of the year with Cedar Tree (Restaurant Group) in the Southeast. Florida, Arkansas, Montana and Wyoming are new markets for us, and we’ve signed a commitment to go into Mexico as well with a 22-unit deal. That was a unique circumstance because the group we are working with already had concepts in the country. They can handle distribution. We’re obviously very excited to enter into that market.
Jack in the Box’s new prototype restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky.
And what about this year? What can we look forward to seeing from Jack in the Box in 2024?
The biggest thing is you’re going to start to hear more about our new prototype buildings that we’re opening with a new color scheme that highlights purple. It’s a really bright, open building look and feel. We have some of these open already, including three in the Salt Lake City area.
The other big news for both Jack and Del are the drive-thru-only prototype. We’ve opened up one of those, again in Utah, where it’s strictly a drive-thru with a third-party delivery window. The new prototypes are only about 1,300 square feet, which allow us to go into smaller pieces of property where we can’t get a full or even three quarters of an acre. We have two prototypes we’re rolling out that have 22 and 44 seats.
Let’s talk Del Taco, which landed at No. 81 on the Top 400. What’s the latest on that brand?
Del Taco opened 14 new restaurants in 2023 and signed 138 new commitments, according to Van Ingram, who leads franchise development for the brand.
We opened 14 new Del Tacos and signed 138 new commitments. For a 600-unit brand in 16 states, I think that’s really impressive. We’re signing 10-, 15-, 20-unit store development agreements with Del now, which really says a lot about the interest in the brand and the kind of franchisees we’re attracting.
You’re responsible for overseeing franchise development for both Jack in the Box and Del Taco. How difficult is that?
It is difficult, but the thing that makes it works is that we use what is called a shared service at our company, which means we combine certain departments including franchise development. So, I’m in franchise sales and my counterparts are the VP of real estate and VP of construction. We’re all on the development team. There’s a lot of synergies that can be taken advantage of with that kind of setup, from ordering equipment and sharing marketing and training.
What is the most difficult part of your job? What keeps you up at night?
It is figuring out how to help our franchisees and prospects, and teaching them how to overcome some of the industry headwinds that we all are facing. Increased labor cost. Increased development costs. Increased construction costs. Increased site costs. All of those things are legitimate concerns for a new franchisee entering our brands. So, I think that’s the biggest challenge for me, and other franchise development people at other brands. It’s just figuring out how we can help our operators be more comfortable and convincing them the brands we’re representing are going to be a good option for them.
And then that’s where I use another euphemism: The best deal that our team does this year may be one we don’t do. It may not be a good fit for us, or we’re not a good fit for them. We have to be honest with each other.
You’ve worked with several legacy brands, starting with Valvoline in 1992. What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in franchising development?
For one thing, the technology that’s involved in selling franchises now versus when I got into this business back in 1998 is so much more advanced. Back when I first started in franchising, you sent out a brochure to the prospect. Then the next step was you wanted to get the prospect on the phone. The lion’s share of the selling process was over the phone back then. The franchise salesperson controlled the dialogue, because the prospect didn’t know all the right questions to ask. Fast forward to today and everything about our brand we put on a website and in our franchise disclosure documents. It’s all out there for review. I call it self-guided due diligence and it works great for everyone.
The other big change in this business is how we determine new markets and how many stores we decide on to fill a market. We use GIS mapping systems to determine where people work, where they live and where they go. The technology helps us figure out where we need to develop locations in what neighborhoods and intersections, and that really helps us make our franchisees more successful going forward. Having a well-designed, empirical analysis of where you want to put your locations to me is one of the most important parts of what I can do for a brand.
It really sounds like you still love your job. What is it about the development work that you enjoy the most?
I think the number one thing is I’m a steward of the brand I represent, and I take that very seriously when I bring in good deals. I think the big thing that I’ve enjoyed most in my career is that I’ve always worked for legacy brands. If you look at who I’ve been with, it’s not the new up-and-coming brands who may or may not get above 200 or even 100 units. The iconic brands I’ve worked with have stood the test of time and they continue to grow for a reason. People still love them. To be able to give people jobs, impact their lives, is something I still really, really enjoy. It keeps me going.