Basis Of Presentation

9 Months Ended

Jul. 08, 2012

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis Of Presentation

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Nature of operations — Founded in 1951, Jack in the Box Inc. (the “Company”) operates and franchises Jack in the Box^® quick-service restaurants and Qdoba Mexican Grill^® (“Qdoba”) fast-casual restaurants in 44 states. The following table summarizes the number of restaurants as of the end of each period:

	July 8, 2012	July 10, 2011
Jack in the Box:
Company-operated	586	735
Franchise	1,661	1,485
Total system	2,247	2,220
Qdoba:
Company-operated	304	229
Franchise	310	335
Total system	614	564

References to the Company throughout these Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are made using the first person notations of “we,” “us” and “our.”

Basis of presentation — The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In our opinion, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of financial condition and results of operations for these interim periods have been included. Operating results for one interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results for any other interim period or for the full year.

These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 2, 2011. The accounting policies used in preparing these condensed consolidated financial statements are the same as those described in our Form 10-K.

Principles of consolidation — The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, its wholly-owned subsidiaries and the accounts of any variable interest entities where we are deemed the primary beneficiary. All significant intercompany transactions are eliminated. For information related to the variable interest entity included in our condensed consolidated financial statements, refer to Note 11, Variable Interest Entities.

Fiscal year — Our fiscal year is 52 or 53 weeks ending the Sunday closest to September 30. Fiscal years 2012 and 2011 include 52 weeks. Our first quarter includes 16 weeks and all other quarters include 12 weeks. All comparisons between 2012 and 2011 refer to the 12-weeks (“quarter”) and 40-weeks (“year-to-date”) ended July 8, 2012 and July 10, 2011, respectively, unless otherwise indicated.

Use of estimates — In preparing the condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, management is required to make certain assumptions and estimates that affect reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and the disclosure of contingencies. In making these assumptions and estimates, management may from time to time seek advice and consider information provided by actuaries and other experts in a particular area. Actual amounts could differ materially from these estimates.