Jack in the Box — Restaurant in Austin

XP: Drive through

RE: Chemical Taste in Monster Tacos

This was my go-to Jack in the Box in Austin, but I don’t trust this location any more. I ordered Monster Tacos via drive through today; when I ate the first one, it tasted rancid. I thought my taste buds were off, so I tried a different taco. That one tasted fine; two were fine, the other two had a strong chemical taste, like soap or cleaner.

When I called to alert them, the phone rang at least 15 times before cutting off with no answering machine. An employee answered on my fourth attempt. When I told her that two of my tacos were rancid, she asked if I wanted to come down so she could make me new ones. Before I could explain that I was calling to have someone check the Monster Tacos, she cut me off, “I mean, I just came in and whoever had morning shift left everything a mess. I am bleaching the walls right now, I am scrubbing the grease; I mean I’m doing a complete overhaul! I’m so sorry ma’am I’m not surprised. I mean, I’ve seen what they put out.” “I am an employee, and I want an upgrade; I’ve been meaning to bring this to management. So, I’m taking care of it - ok ma’am?” The employee tried to hang up, but I asked to speak to her manager myself. She told me that the phone was dying because someone hadn’t put it on the charger, but that I could try if I wanted to. When I said I wanted to, she told me her manager only spoke Spanish. When I told her I spoke Spanish and wanted to speak to her manager, I heard her manager ask, “Who is it?” in English. She replied, “A customer, something went wrong.” The manager answered politely in English. I asked her if she spoke Spanish - she did. So I continued the conversation in Spanish.

I told her about the taste, and told her I was calling because I was concerned that other people would receive the faulty food. And that I wanted someone to check the Monster Tacos before selling more. She told me she would check on them.

Perhaps, in the turnover, some cleaner fell on my food. And I appreciate that the manager was polite, and the employee was dealing with an uncomfortable situation. However, after the employee’s account and the poor experience, I don’t trust this...

6.2.2025-New update Find another JB, or restaurant. The employees, including the manager are rude. They ignore me when I go to the front counter, and the women who work there are unbelievably rude. If they see me come in, they leave me standing there for a few minutes, and I'm handicapped, or are horribly rude.

The restaurant is a pig stye, (the floors are greasy, but my shoes stick to it, the bathrooms are filthy, and they don't know what window cleaner is for, (the windows are dirty and smokey).

On several occasions when I went inside, it was in the sixties, and the employees were wearing coats and.gloves. I asked why, and the employees have said that it is turned so low, because they don't want the homeless staying there, but wjat about paying customers???

And, their prices are crazy high, and I know it's this restaurant, because I went to a JB out of town.

8.20.2024-Update- The floor in the women's restroom is still sticky, and it gets on my shoes and makes it difficult to walk out of the restaurant. And, the ladies restroom is disgusting. It needs to be cleaned thoroughly. Even the fixtures look gross and filthy.

8.17.2024- The food is so stupidly overpriced!!! And, if you decide to take out a an to eat here, the food is DISGUSTING!!!

The other thing that amazes me is that when you come thru the door, they are NEVER busy, (which is easy to understand), and they do NOT even greet me, they just stare with a blank stupid look on their faces!!! Damn, how hard is it to say hello??

The NEXT thing that is also disgusting, and I can't figure it out; the last time I walked in the restaurant, the floor is so horribly sticky that it pulled me right out of my flip flops. What the hell? But, the restaurant does not have a clean smell to it either. And, the bathrooms look clean, but the walls and all surfaces are DISGUSTING!!!

AND, WHOMEVER OWNS THIS JACK IN THE BOX, WHY DON'T YOU BUY A NEW AC FOR THE PLACE??? SERIOUSLY? A PORTABLE AC UNIT IN THE KITCHEN DOES NOT COOL OFF THE RESTAURANT!!!

GET OFF YOUR REAR END AND IMPROVE THIS PLACE, AND IN THE MEANTIME, I'M CONTACTING THE HEALTH...

I had just finished lunch at this Burnet Rd. location, and I could hear behind me a young child was telling a female employee that his mother was calling her outside. He kept saying, "My mom NEEDS you, my mom NEEDS you," to her. She kept asking what his mom needed, but he wouldn't say. He just kept cryptically repeating the same thing. She finally stepped outside a few seconds before me. The mother's car was in the first parking space outside the door.

As I was leaving the building, I saw the little boy, about 7 years old, sitting in the front passenger seat while this 20-something-year-old employee leans inside the car, less than a foot from his face, and takes several hits from a joint, no doubt supplied by the boy's mother. The weed smell was very strong outside the car.

You guys need to watch who you keep on your staff. This young woman has been working at your location for years now. I know because I work nearby and have seen her there for about 2 or 3 years.

Your employee was just smoking weed and exhaling in the face of a small child just a few steps from the restaurant door. It's a bad look for the company, and I can't believe someone like that has been on the staff this long.

I will not be returning to this location, and I hope this employee doesn't...