I ate at Jack in the Box for the first time to see why sales are rising and its crispy fried chicken

• I visited Jack in the Box alongside other West Coast fast food chains.
• The spicy chicken strips were a highlight of my trip and beat chicken chains like KFC and Chick-fil-A in my opinion.
• Jack in the Box could be poised for huge success now that its portfolio includes Del Taco, too.

On my West coast fast food trip, I visited Jack in the Box to test it out and see how it compares to other chains.

The chain has around 2,200 locations, mostly located on the West Coast of the US.

It sells a little bit of everything, from chicken tenders to burgers, fries, tacos, and other snacks.

It also just acquired Del Taco earlier in 2022 for $585 million, which Jack in the Box CEO Darin Harris called a "perfect fit."

Source: Restaurant Business Online

The chain did nearly $350 million in restaurant sales in 2021, so I headed to a Southern California location to see what all the hype was about.

Jack in the Box sales rebounded to impressive levels just below last year's 10% growth in July, beating expectations, CFO Tim Mullany told investors in an August earnings call.

Source: Restaurant Business Online

An end to product shortages, reopening dining rooms, and resuming late night hours were all key to the sales upswing, Harris said.

I tried out a small but representative sample of the menu, including spicy chicken strips, stuffed jalapeños, and tiny tacos.

I'm always happy to eat chicken strips, and these were especially great ones, though a little sparse at $5.49 for two pieces.

They were just the right level of spicy, where I took a few extra sips of my drink but kept going back for more.

They were so crispy and smelled delicious.

I wish I could get these where I live - they'd easily be my go-to fast food chicken.

I love KFC and Chick-fil-A, but I think Jack in the Box can hold its own against either on the fried chicken front.

I of course had to get jalapeno poppers, which are always tempting on menus but sometimes disappoint in actual execution.

I've had variations at other restaurants that seem to be 90% breading, and super light on the filling, but that wasn't the case here.

Though there were only three in an order, they were large and stuffed full of cheese and jalapeños, at $3.79.

I ordered the tiny tacos as a kind of wildcard because I was too curious not to.

There were probably about 15 in a paper box for $3.49. They were, as promised, tiny tortilla-type pieces each containing beef.

They were smaller than I'd anticipated but very fun to snack on. They reminded me of Fritos.

I enjoyed my visit to Jack in the Box, and it felt nostalgic though I'd never been there before.

The primary colors on the packaging and basic decor were fine, but not remarkable or particularly memorable.

I was worried the menu might be too gimmicky, with too many options to make any of them actually good.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the menu items I tried seemed well thought out and tasted as good as they sounded.

Jack in the Box reminded me of Sonic, with a large menu of snacks and foods that don't necessarily go together, but with better execution.

I wish I'd been able to try more of the menu because I was already won over by the end of my first bite of chicken.

I think with the addition of Del Taco, Jack in the Box could be poised to make a push to other areas of the US, and I hope they do.

The only thing not to like is the mascot, which I found a bit creepy.

Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.

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