Remember the last time Jack in the Box served sliders? Oh, you don’t remember because you were three years old back in 2009. Well, young Gen Z whippersnappers, you’re about to get a lesson in Jack in the Box menu history from someone with an associate degree in fast food history from the unaccredited University of Drive-Thru Online at Sedona.

Way before the Smashed Jack and Buttery Jack were expensive menu items on Jack’s menu board, sirloin beef patties were the premium burger choice at Jack in the Box back in 2008. This led to the three-pack Mini Sirloin Burgers, which may or may not have been a response to Burger King’s sliders, the BK Burger Shots. The Mini Sirloin Burgers weren’t around for long, though a mini chicken sandwich version came out later.

Now that you’re all caught up, Jack in the Box is giving sliders another try with its Smashed Jack Sliders. The mini burgers feature a two-ounce smashed beef patty with melted American cheese on both sides, topped with a pickle and Smashed Jack sauce on a soft slider bun. They’re available individually, as a three-pack, in a Munchie Meal (two sliders, two tacos, curly fries, and a drink), in a regular combo meal (three sliders, regular fries, and a drink), or in a Party Pack with eight of them. I ordered the three-pack for $11. For reference, a lone Smashed Jack Slider runs $4 in my neck of the ocean, which is the same price as a Mini Sirloin Burgers three-pack back in 2009.

I’m a fan of the Classic Smashed Jack, and because these have an almost identical taste, I enjoyed noshing my way through all three. Most of my enjoyment came from the sauce, which has a nice tangy and sweet flavor that complements the beef and pickles perfectly. I like it so much that I usually lick it off my hands instead of reaching for a napkin. The pickles added crunch and extra tang, the melted American cheese added creaminess, and the soft slider bun held everything together without falling apart. As for the beef, it had a nice meaty flavor, though the crispy edges that smashed burgers are known for were absent.

Because these are sliders, and because White Castle instantly pops into my head whenever I think of sliders, I wish these had some onions. I’m surprised the grilled onions from the Classic Smashed Jack didn’t make the cut here. Adding them would have mirrored the bigger version and, I think, might’ve made the sliders better. Unfortunately, adding some isn’t an option in the Jack in the Box app.

Jack in the Box’s Smashed Jack Sliders are small but pack a lot of flavor, and I enjoyed them. However, they taste so similar to the Classic Smashed Jack that it’s hard to recommend them. If you’re splitting a three-pack or eight-pack with someone, that’s a better case for them than getting a bunch of regular Smashed Jacks and cutting them in half. But if you’re eating solo, you’re probably better off with a regular Smashed Jack. Take it from a guy with a certificate in fast food economics from the unlicensed DeepFry University.

Purchased Price: $10.99
Size: 3-pack
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 1080 calories. No other nutritional information is available on the Jack in the Box website.

While other fast food chains trot out minty green products for St. Patrick’s Day season, Jack in the Box is going green in a different way this year with its Oreo Matcha Shake. To be honest, I wish matcha were a more prevalent flavor in the fast food world and replaced mint as the unofficial St. Patrick’s Day flavor. We already have peppermint covered in the winter, so one less minty seasonal flavor seems like a perfectly reasonable ask.

The Oreo Matcha Shake is a vanilla shake blended with matcha tea and Oreo cookie crumbles, then topped with whipped cream and even more Oreo crumbles. It’s a little surprising to see a matcha shake from a major fast food chain, since matcha remains a rare sight outside of coffee chains. But then again, it’s not that surprising coming from Jack in the Box, a chain with a long history of thinking outside the Jack in the Box. Need I remind you of the ube shake?

As for its flavor, it delivers the familiar sweet and slightly bitter profile that matcha sweets are known for, though it’s more restrained than a matcha-flavored Kit Kat from Japan. Here it’s gentler, likely diluted a bit by the vanilla shake base. But that’s probably for the best, since a full-strength matcha blast through a straw might be a lot to ask of the average fast food customer, and this is approachable enough that even matcha newcomers might find themselves pleasantly surprised.

The Oreo crumbles were plentiful, as they tend to be in Jack’s Oreo shakes, and they provided welcome bits of texture with each sip. However, I can’t say they contributed much in the way of chocolate flavor. Throughout the entire shake, I could only detect matcha, which makes me wonder whether the slight bitterness of the Oreo crumbles simply gets absorbed into the matcha’s bitterness. It’s not a dealbreaker, but if you’re ordering this expecting a matcha-chocolate experience, you may want to temper those expectations.

If matcha matches your taste buds, the Jack in the Box Oreo Matcha Shake will make them very happy to have met. And if you’ve never tried matcha before, this is a pretty delicious place to start.

Purchased Price: $6.29*Size: Regular
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 780 calories. (No other nutritional information is available on the Jack in the Box website.)

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

Jack in the Box has brought back its Chicken Supreme, a sandwich I didn’t know existed until now, or maybe totally forgot about it because I was more concerned with stuffing my face with The Colossus. According to the internet, it was introduced in 1980 and discontinued in 2004, and it’s being brought back for a limited time to celebrate Jack in the Box’s 75th birthday. Happy Birthday, Jack!

While not exactly like the original Chicken Supreme, which had two types of cheese, this 75th-anniversary edition comes with a crispy chicken patty, mayo-onion sauce, lettuce, tomato, and Swiss-style cheese, all between a wheat brioche bun. Yes, that piece of lettuce is so huge that maybe my sandwich should probably be called the Lettuce Supreme.

It’s available with one or two patties. I ordered the single version, but got a Double Chicken Supreme, so early Happy Birthday to me!

Looking at the ingredients, I wondered why it’s considered a “fan favorite” because it doesn’t seem special to me. For the most part, it had all the makings of a typical fast food chicken patty sandwich. But when I took a bite, I began to understand a little about why it had been missed.

The following is going to sound weird, but despite the fried chicken patty, the combination of the wheat bun, lettuce, and tomato gives this menu item a bit of wholesomeness. And that wholesomeness, along with the onion-mayo sauce and Swiss cheese, that caresses the poultry gives it a surprisingly tasty flavor that differentiates itself from other chicken patty fast food sandwiches.

Now don’t get it twisted. The Chicken Supreme is by no means healthy, and if Jack in the Box had the antenna balls to post the full nutritional facts on its website, we’d all see how unhealthy it is.

Now this is going to sound even weirder, but there’s a part of me that believes the wheat bun is what really makes all the difference with this sandwich’s taste. It’s a little sweet, but it also has that earthy, grainy flavor you’d expect from wheat bread. However, it complements the savory chicken patty and all the toppings wonderfully.

At $5.99, it has a price that’s not too outrageous, and it’s cheaper than almost all of Jack’s other chicken sandwiches. If it can be kept at that same price point, I’d like to see the Chicken Supreme return every so often because it’s tasty enough that it deserves it. I just hope it happens before Jack in the Box’s 100th anniversary.

Purchased Price: $5.99
Size: Single (but I ended up with a Double)
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Single patty) 640 calories. No other nutritional numbers are available on the Jack in the Box website.

I feel like Jack in the Box attempted to get a deal to offer a Stranger Things menu, but didn’t please the Netflix Gods. So instead of promoting the Netflix show set in the mid-1980s, the fast food chain decided to promote a flick that came out in the mid-1980s — Gremlins.

It’s the 41st anniversary of the original Gremlins movie, so, um, it’s a little beyond a right, round time to celebrate the film. Or maybe Jack in the Box decided to jump on the Gremlins promotion train early because Gremlins 3 is coming out in 2027?

Whatever the deal is with Jack in the Box and Gremlins, the fast food chain is going all in on the collaboration, offering an entire menu. There’s the Gremlins Midnight Meal (Crispy Chicken Strips, Tacos, Onion Rings, Halfsie Fries, Midnight Sauce, a drink, and a Gremlins Air Freshener), the Midnight Snack Shake (a vanilla shake with M&M’s, salty pretzel pieces, mini marshmallows, and graham cracker crumbles), and this Midnight Chicken Sandwich.

The menu item is basically Jack’s regular Cluck Sandwich (crispy chicken filet and pickles on a brioche bun), but with the Good Good Sauce swapped out for the mysterious-sounding Midnight Sauce. Yup, as much creativity went into this sandwich as coming up with the name Good Good Sauce.

While it sounds mysterious, the Midnight Sauce is just a sweet barbecue sauce with a slight spicy kick. It tastes similar to other barbecue sauces, and, not surprisingly, it goes well with the chicken filet and pickles. Unfortunately, not all was enjoyable with my order. While my filet had a crispy exterior, the poultry inside was noticeably dry. I guess that’s the Russian Roulette we play with fast food.

While it tastes fine, because it’s pretty much just a Cluck Sandwich with a different sauce, I can’t help but feel underwhelmed by it. Since it’s topped with a barbecue sauce, maybe adding a few mogwai-colored onion rings would’ve made everything a bit more interesting. Or if Jack in the Box wanted to be a bit extra, and expand on the midnight theme, it could’ve added a purple cabbage coleslaw.

Purchased Price: $7.99*
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 680 calories (Other nutritional numbers are not available on the Jack in the Box website or app.)

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.