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The Brand

Brand Recognition Is Everything

Products

Our menus are designed to give fast food customers what they want:
Bigger, Better, Burgers & Biscuits

Carl's Jr.® and Hardee's® have a strong track record of successfully developing new premium products to lead the category in taste, quality, and innovation. As an industry leader, we have consistently out-delivered all other quick-service restaurants in product development since our founding. Staying on top requires that we continue to lead the way in the products we serve through taste, quality, and innovation.

burgers!

Advertising

BRAND RECOGNITION IS EVERYTHING

At Carl's Jr.® and Hardee's® our brand sets us apart from the competition. Our advertisements are created to be so bold and memorable that they've been known to crash internet video servers. Our taglines deliver bold statements and our visuals are designed to keep viewers wanting more. EAT LIKE YOU MEAN IT.

Stats

National Advertising Buy

  • Our two banners covered enough markets in the U.S. to make the purchase of national cable media efficient when promoting same product simultaneously
  • Increases media weights in well-penetrated markets by 50%+ over spot TV buys
  • Provides a base of media in new/under-penetrated markets
  • Helps establish demand in future expansion markets
  • Maximized our use of national cable in the intervening years, with national cable target rating points (TRPs) now representing approximately 20% of total annual TRPs we buy, with the remaining 80% coming from our spot TV buys
  • Entertainment franchise tie-ins with X-men, Superman, Halo, Spiderman, Call of Duty: Black Ops III keep the brand up to date and relevant

Social Media & Digital Reach

Industry Firsts

As an industry leader, we have consistently out-delivered all other quick-service restaurants in product development since our founding. Staying on top requires that we continue to lead the way in the products we serve through taste, quality, and innovation.

  • SIT-DOWN RESTAURANT QUALITY
  • 100% BLACK ANGUS BEEF BURGERS
  • LOW-CARB BURGERS
  • CHARBROILED COD FISH SANDWICHES
  • CHARBROILED TURKEY BURGERS
  • HAND-SCOOPED™ ICE CREAM SHAKES & MALTS
  • PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM BURGERS
  • JALAPENO BURGERS
  • "MEAT-ON-MEAT" BURGERS
  • MADE-FROM-SCRATCH™ BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
  • HAND-BREADED CHICKEN TENDERS & SANDWICHES
  • ALL-NATURAL BURGER LINE
Carls Jr featured burger - Buffalo Blue Cheese

Over $4 Billion in
System-Wide Sales*

With a company wide focus on individual franchise profitability

*Figures represent both Carl's Jr and Hardee's.

Consistently ranked among the

Best-Tasting

and

Highest-Quality Burgers

In the industry

*Sandelman and Associates, Quick Track 2014 & Technomic's 2014 Consumer Brand Metrics Program

AUV Sales Growth
in 13 of the last 14 years

Award-Winning Performance Metrics*

*Figures represent both Carl's Jr and Hardee's.

History

PREMIUM PRODUCTS, BETTER BURGERS

It's 1941, a young Carl N. Karcher and his wife, Margaret, make a leap of faith and borrow $311 to purchase a hot dog cart. One cart grows to four, and within five years, Carl's Drive-In Barbecue opens with hamburgers on the menu.

Over the years, Carl's has continued its growth with an emphasis on quality, service, and cleanliness, pioneering concepts such as partial table service and self-serve beverage bars. The introduction of our Fresh Baked Buns™ in 2013 and our All Natural Burger™ in 2015 confirm our constant emphasis on product innovation and represent our focus on satisfying the tastes of young, hungry consumers.

1941

Carl Karcher opens hot dog cart in Los Angeles

1964

Carl Karcher Enterprises (CKE) incorporates

1997

CKE acquires Hardee's®

2006

CKE rolls out new logo and embarks on full-scale re-imaging and remodeling capital plan

2013

Acquired by Roark Capital Group

2015

CKE rolls out its All-Natural Burger line