Basis Of Presentation

6 Months Ended

Apr. 14, 2013

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. The following table summarizes the number of restaurants as of the end of each period:

	April 14, 2013	April 15, 2012
Jack in the Box:
Company-operated	546	601
Franchise	1,710	1,641
Total system	2,256	2,242
Qdoba:
Company-operated	340	289
Franchise	307	316
Total system	647	605

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 and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). During fiscal 2012, we entered into an agreement to outsource our Jack in the Box distribution business. As such, the results of operations for our distribution business for all periods presented are reported as discontinued operations. Refer to Note 2, Discontinued Operations, for additional information. 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 September 30, 2012. 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 (“VIEs”) where we are deemed the primary beneficiary. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated. For information related to the VIE included in our condensed consolidated financial statements, refer to Note 13, Variable Interest Entities.

Fiscal year — Our fiscal year is 52 or 53 weeks ending the Sunday closest to September 30. Fiscal years 2013 and 2012 include 52 weeks. Our first quarter includes 16 weeks and all other quarters include 12 weeks. All comparisons between 2013 and 2012 refer to the 12-weeks (“quarter”) and 28-weeks (“year-to-date”) ended April 14, 2013 and April 15, 2012, respectively, unless otherwise indicated.

Use of estimates — In preparing the condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, 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.