Almost two seasons ago, I was watching a Dodgers telecast where announcer Joe Davis and play-by-play analyst Orel Hershiser commented about one of the two main food promotions associated with the Dodgers: the “free” Jumbo Jack with the purchase of a large drink at participating Jack in the Box restaurants, the day after the Dodgers strike out at least seven batters.
The banter included a call to action for a reporter like Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times to investigate the matter, with the acknowledgment that most serious reporters would not touch this story. I accepted the challenge because doing my own thing is part of my brand here at True Blue LA.
Sometimes we get investigative pieces about the Dodgers Gondola Project, sometimes we get travelogues about Japan, and sometimes we get silly little essays about “free” hamburgers and modestly discounted sugar chicken.
Life is just funny, sometimes.
Speaking of sugar chicken, the other major fast-food promotion is offered when the Dodgers win at home. The following day, at participating Los Angeles-area restaurants, one can purchase a discounted two-entree plate from Panda Express for $7. The cost of this promotion has increased by a dollar each year over the last two years, making it less of a solid deal.
As a fun aside, Panda Express is an offshoot of the Panda Inn, which opened in Pasadena in 1973 and elsewhere in southern California, before eventually spawning the fast-casual chain we all know today. Would I ever want sugar chicken but fancy? Probably not, but to each their own.
This season, I have finally taken measures to keep track, mostly in real time, of the Dodgers’ progress in triggering these promotions. There was an AM/PM promotion for a free hot dog (after the Dodgers steal a base), and there is a McDonald’s promotion for a “free” six-piece chicken McNuggets (with a $2 purchase) after the Dodgers score six runs. But these promotions have largely failed to capture the imagination of the fanbase, mostly because they seemed ill-conceived.
The people are not clamoring for a free gas-station hot dog or a convoluted way to get one of the better things on the McDonald’s menu. (Author’s note: the best thing is the Egg McMuffin — period.)
If anything, these promotions used to work outside of the Los Angeles area, even as far away as Tulare County, three to four hours to the north. Not anymore. Am I to blame for that fact? God, I hope not.
The status of the big two promotions
As you can see, the Dodgers have been humming along, churning out victories, discounted Panda Plates, and “free” Jumbo Jacks with aplomb. Last year, the Dodgers triggered the Jumbo Jack promotion 131 times out of 162 regular season games, which is roughly a 80.9% clip. Last year, the Dodgers won 52 out of 81 home games to trigger the Panda Express promotion, which is about a 64.2% clip.
So far, the Dodgers are at a slightly slower pace with the Jumbo Jacks promotion and a slightly faster pace with the Panda Express promotion, but the season is still less than a full month old.
To refer to Joe Davis’ original request, no one should be eating fast food every single day. If one were forced to, there are ways to make the Panda Express plate tolerable to your health (double teriyaki chicken, no sauce, vegetables — you’re welcome).
With Jack in the Box, it’s much harder to be healthier. Admittedly, you’re at a burger joint; the window for good choices closed as even less bad menu choices are not covered by the promotion, which is the only reason apart from sheer hunger than patrons should go.
Unlike other seasons, I am keeping a daily track to prevent the slog of sifting through box scores for a single statistic, which is anathema to joy. Speaking of anathema, Jack in the Box has gone through tough times like another fast food operators in recent years.
The company has had a colorful history, accidentally serving Australian horse and kangaroo meat in the early 1980s to marketing that was poorly timed with the Oklahoma City bombing in 1994. Does this downturn mean the Jumbo Jack promotion may go the way of Rax and other fast food restaurants swept into the dustbin of history? Who can say.
Still, if one lives in the Los Angeles area and wanted to take “advantage” of these deals, sooner would be better than later. However, given recent history, the Dodgers will likely trigger either or both of these promotions on a regular basis during the rest of the 2026 campaign.
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