Hardee's
Encyclopedia
Hardee's is a restaurant chain, located mostly in the Southeast and Midwestern regions of the United States. It has evolved through several corporate ownerships since its establishment in 1960. It is currently owned and operated by CKE Restaurants
. Along with its sibling restaurant chain, Carl's Jr.
, Hardee's is the #5 U.S. fast-food restaurant chain after Subway
, McDonald's
, Burger King
and Wendy's
. It is headquartered in downtown St. Louis, Missouri
.
, opened his first restaurant in Greenville, North Carolina
, on September 9, 1960. On the strength of its manly menu items, including the Huskee, the chain experienced rapid growth by franchising
and, to a lesser extent, by acquiring other restaurant chains. The first company store opened in Rocky Mount, North Carolina
, in May 1961 by James Carson Gardner
and Leonard Rawls on McDonald St. in downtown Rocky Mount. That location has since been razed.
According to Wilbur Hardee, Gardner and Rawls won a controlling share of the company from him in a game of poker. After realizing that he lost control over his namesake company, Hardee sold his remaining shares to them as well.
The chain was headquartered in Rocky Mount until 2001.
The 1964 menu included: Hamburger 15 cents, Cheeseburger 20 cents, Fries 10 cents, Apple Turnovers 15 cents, Milk 12 cents, Coffee 10 cents, Coke, Pepsi, Root Beer and Orange, 15 cents and 10 cents, and Milk Shake (Chocolate-Strawberry-Vanilla) 20 cents. Strawberry shakes were created from vanilla by addition of a berry syrup which had to be mixed on a spindle. In the late 1960s and early '70s, Hardee's opened units in West Germany (Hardee's Schnellrast) and Australia in conjunction with Kellogg's (Hartee's).
One notable early franchisee for the chain in the United States was former Baltimore Colts
receiver Jerry Richardson
, who would go on to be the founding owner of the Carolina Panthers
. Both the Colts (now based in Indianapolis
) and Panthers are members of the National Football League
. Richardson retired from running his Hardee's franchises in 1995, but remains owner of the Panthers today.
.
During the 1970s, when Hardee's saw rapid growth on the strength of its Big Twin (a two-patty burger using a distinctive cheese and sauce combination) and Big Deluxe (a quarter-pound burger with a unique, tangy mayonaise) sandwiches. Both burgers were "charco-broiled" and were cooked in a process using heated "char-rocks" that caused the fat content dripping off the cooking beef to ignite for a distinctive "flame-broiled" taste. The charco-broiling process was discontinued throughout the '80s and '90s. The name "charbroiling," but not the process (no rocks) was reintroduced in 2001 with the addition of a Thickburger menu.
Television advertising campaigns in the early 1970s included cartoon characters of a '49er, "Gilbert Giddyup", and his nemesis, a purple-coated villain named "Speedy McGreedy". Radio advertisements featured "Mama Cass" Elliot
singing the jingle "Hurry on down to Hardee's, where the burgers are charco broiled!"
In 1978 Hardee's introduced the made-from-scratch biscuit to its menu. The program was introduced by a pilot program at its franchise store in Macon, GA. The program was a huge success and continues today. The initial test required a retrofit of an existing kitchen with a blodget convection oven and flat grill. Today's stores are designed with all of the necessary equipment in place. Initially Hardee's offered a sausage, bacon and ham biscuit. All were available with egg and cheese added for an additional charge. Today's breakfast menu offers a wide variety of selections including the favorite "Cinnamon Raisin Biscuit".
for roast beef sandwiches, an item still sold at some franchised locations. Later, Hardee's entered into competition with fried chicken on its menu. Hardee's was purchased by Imasco in 1981. They also own Imperial Tobacco (Canada), Peoples Drug
(USA, later sold to CVS), Shopper's Drug Mart (Canada), and The Tinder Box.
Hardee's was affected by the buy-out phenomena of the 1980s. A new management team in the early 1980s seeking to cut costs immediately changed the signature burger recipe. When sales declined, the chain eliminated altogether the flagship menu items of the Big Twin and the Big Deluxe. However, these menu items can still be found at international franchised outlets, such as in the Middle East. The chain had over 4,000 units by 1992.
For a short time in the early 1990s, Hardee's outlets sold the popular fried chicken recipe acquired from Roy Rogers. Hardee's locations in southeastern Virginia, eastern North Carolina, and Millvale, Pennsylvania
just outside of Pittsburgh still serve chicken today, as well as the traditional sides such as mashed potatoes & gravy, cole slaw, and biscuits. At one point, the chain expanded to over 4,000 locations in the United States
, but the chain has contracted to less than 2,000 in recent years. Some newer locations have opened up at truck stop
locations, some in conjunction with Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores
.
In addition to Roy Rogers, they also owned Rax Roast Beef for a period of time. Many newer or remodeled locations in areas where Burger Chef
once had a presence display photos of Burger Chef locations in addition to older Hardee's locations.
, the parent company of the Carl's Jr.
fast-food restaurant chain. (Imasco retained the few remaining Roy Rogers locations until 2003, at which time the trademark and franchise system were reportedly purchased by Frederick, Maryland-based Plamondon Enterprises.) Over time, some Hardee's restaurants were converted to serve higher-quality hamburgers and other products available from Carl's Jr., and also took on the Carl's Jr. star logo in the process. Some locations were simply fully rebranded Carl's Jr. - this was a year after Wendy's
and Tim Hortons
purchased most of the Hardee's stores in Michigan
.
Hardee's moved its headquarters from Rocky Mount, North Carolina
, to downtown St. Louis, Missouri
, in 2001.
CKE Restaurants has been dual branding some Hardee's locations with Red Burrito, similar to its Green Burrito
/Carl's Jr.
dual brand concept. This is a similar strategy used by Yum! Brands
with its KFC
, Pizza Hut
, Taco Bell
, A&W Restaurants
and Long John Silvers concepts to help expand brands without the additional expense of new buildings and land.
Hardee's has found a niche market in smaller towns that may lack franchises of the other major hamburger chains. Hardee's closed its restaurants in Hong Kong
on December 27, 2006, due to problems with franchising rights.
On March 12, 2007, the first-ever franchised Hardee's restaurant (located in Rocky Mount, North Carolina) was demolished to make room for a veterans memorial park named after Jack Laughery, a former Hardee's executive and U.S. Army veteran.
As of the fiscal year ended January 25, 2010, CKE Restaurants, Inc., through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,141 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 42 states and in 14 countries, including 1,905 Hardee's restaurants and 1,224 Carl's Jr. restaurants. Hardee's recently opened another branch in Pakistan. In May 2011, Hardee's opened a branch in Alma-Ata, Almaty, Kazakhstan, at the TOO Mega Center Alma-Ata, with another store opening in the same city just weeks after. Although the stores are named Hardee's, they serve the Carl's Jr. menu. There is also a Hardee's branch in Muscat, Oman
for the use of the Burger Chef
trademark and name. Shortly thereafter, Hardee's reissued the Burger Chef
Big Shef sandwich in Terre Haute, Indiana
, as a trial offering and later in other Indiana
, Ohio
, and Missouri
markets for a limited time. The reissue of the Big Shef has also utilized the Burger Chef name and logo in advertisements in the markets in which it is offered, and the claim was to provide Burger Chef fans with their Big Shef "fix". On April 16, 2009, River West Brands dropped their petition for cancellation and both parties agreed to pay their own attorneys fees.
burger chain, the Hardee's name cannot be used in that country. Instead, CKE Restaurants has opened stores there under the Carl's Jr. name.
provided the voice for the Hardee's Star. For a time, many Hardee's locations even gave out free antenna toppers in the shape of the recently adopted star. The star remains Hardee's logo, but the mascot ceased appearing in the commercials with the advent of the Thickburger campaign. A new Hardee's logo was unveiled in 2006 that featured script lettering and further minimized the smiling star icon.
, Cale Yarborough
and Alan Kulwicki
throughout the 1980s and in 1990, Hardee's sponsored Russ Wheeler's car in the film Days of Thunder
. The company also sponsored Ward Burton's Busch Grand National and Winston Cup cars from 1993 to 1995. Hardee's sponsored a part time effort by Greg Sacks in 1997, and most recently sponsored Jeff Burton
's Busch Grand National car in 1999.
player Mark McGwire
advertising the Thickburger.
toy
s throughout the past few decades. The 1980s featured popular, nonposeable figures
of the Smurfs as well as Beach Bunnies. Renditions of other cartoon
characters would later premiere, including the Ghostbusters
and Nickelodeon
characters.
Other popular licenses were garnered as well. Marvel Comics
characters would be featured in the 1990 Marvel Super Hero Vehicles collection. And in the summer of 2000, DC Comics'
DC Super Heroes finally found a spot in the Hardee's toy scene.
Possibly the most well known Hardee's premiums, however, would be the Dancin' Singin' California Raisins. Several collections of the nonposeable figures were produced in 1987, 1988, 1991, and once again in 2001. Traditionally, they would be available with the purchase of Hardee's cinnamon raisin biscuits.
Hardee's also marketed special Super Bowl
celebratory pins in the early 1990s.
for their sexually suggestive nature. Recent campaigns targeted include "More Than a Piece of Meat" featuring scantily clad women appearing to receive sexual gratification from consuming Hardee's products, and "Name Our Holes" — an ad campaign and website promoting Hardee's Biscuit Holes.
s (5,900 kJ), 107 grams of fat
, and 2,740 mg of sodium
.
Ingredients include a sesame-seed bun
, mayonnaise
, bacon
, cheese
, butter-flavored shortening
and two patties of ground beef
made from Angus cattle
for a total of 2/3 lb
(300 g uncooked) of meat.
states.
The core of the Hardee's breakfast menu is its biscuit sandwiches
, which reflects the southern origins of the chain. The meats on the biscuit sandwiches vary regionally. Most Hardee's biscuits have traditional fare such as a sausage
, bacon
, or ham
. More unusual biscuit sandwiches with chicken fried steak
, and smoked sausage can be found in the southeast, but are more difficult to find in Hardee's outside this region. Hardee's also features biscuits and gravy on its breakfast menu.
In 2002, CKE Restaurants discontinued several breakfast menu items, including the popular cinnamon raisin biscuit. It was part of an attempt by Hardee's to focus on a new burger menu like its sibling restaurant, Carl's Jr. The move was not popular with some customers who had not fully conformed to the new menu, and the restaurant experienced less business consequently. A year later, the removed items were returned to the menu, and Hardee's advertised the re-additions on regional television.
The menu at these locations is very similar to the Hardee's menu of the 80s and 90s in the US. Items like the Big Deluxe, original Frisco Burger, Big Roast Beef, and Big Cookie (among others) are available at all outlets. Despite adopting the newer logos, appearance and slogan from the US Hardee's, the outlets in the Middle East do not serve any burgers under the Thickburger title. They did introduce the Low-Carb Thickburger at one point, but it was dropped from the menu shortly thereafter. Other burgers such as the Portabello Mushroom burger and Five Star Burger (renamed version of the Six Dollar Burger) are available, but are not marketed as "Thickburgers".
CKE Restaurants
CKE Restaurants, Inc. is the parent company of the Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Green Burrito, and Red Burrito restaurant chains. Its headquarters are in Carpinteria, California. It was incorporated in 1964 by Carl's Jr. founder Carl Karcher as Carl Karcher Enterprises, Inc.- History :In 2007, it sold...
. Along with its sibling restaurant chain, Carl's Jr.
Carl's Jr.
Carl's Jr. is an American fast-food restaurant chain located mostly in the Western and Southwestern United States. The first store has opened in Canada in Kelowna, BC. They are in the process of expanding to Mexico, Malaysia, Denmark, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Russia, Vietnam,...
, Hardee's is the #5 U.S. fast-food restaurant chain after Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
, McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
and Wendy's
Wendy's
Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...
. It is headquartered in downtown St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
History
Hardee's founder, Wilbur HardeeWilbur Hardee
Wilbur Hardee was the founder of the American fast-food restaurant chain Hardee's, located mostly in the Midwest and Southeast regions.-Biography:...
, opened his first restaurant in Greenville, North Carolina
Greenville, North Carolina
Greenville is the county seat of Pitt County and principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina...
, on September 9, 1960. On the strength of its manly menu items, including the Huskee, the chain experienced rapid growth by franchising
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
and, to a lesser extent, by acquiring other restaurant chains. The first company store opened in Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Rocky Mount is an All-America City Award-winning city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plains of the state of North Carolina. Although it was not formally incorporated until February 28, 1867, the North Carolina community that became the city of Rocky Mount dates from the beginning of...
, in May 1961 by James Carson Gardner
James Carson Gardner
James Carson "Jim" Gardner is a North Carolina businessman and politician who served as a U.S. Representative and as Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina ....
and Leonard Rawls on McDonald St. in downtown Rocky Mount. That location has since been razed.
According to Wilbur Hardee, Gardner and Rawls won a controlling share of the company from him in a game of poker. After realizing that he lost control over his namesake company, Hardee sold his remaining shares to them as well.
The chain was headquartered in Rocky Mount until 2001.
The 1960s
Many original Hardee's were built with a hexagonal style building with a pointed roof. In keeping with that theme, for a short period of time, Hardee's hamburgers were actually hexagonal, particularly the quarter-pound patties. Some early locations had lobbies, but almost all were fresco-walk-up style. As of 1965, franchisees had a choice of four different free-standing signs, with the "Home of the Huskee" slogan designated HH-1. Another promised "Jet Service - Charco Broiled" Burgers. Some were called Hardee's L'il Chef with a little chef on the sign. Hardee's also started a chain of restaurants called "Yogi Bear's Fried Chicken" in the Southeast in 1968. The Hartsville, SC, location is still open and prospering.The 1964 menu included: Hamburger 15 cents, Cheeseburger 20 cents, Fries 10 cents, Apple Turnovers 15 cents, Milk 12 cents, Coffee 10 cents, Coke, Pepsi, Root Beer and Orange, 15 cents and 10 cents, and Milk Shake (Chocolate-Strawberry-Vanilla) 20 cents. Strawberry shakes were created from vanilla by addition of a berry syrup which had to be mixed on a spindle. In the late 1960s and early '70s, Hardee's opened units in West Germany (Hardee's Schnellrast) and Australia in conjunction with Kellogg's (Hartee's).
One notable early franchisee for the chain in the United States was former Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
receiver Jerry Richardson
Jerry Richardson
Jerry Richardson is the current majority owner and founder of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League.-Biography:...
, who would go on to be the founding owner of the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
. Both the Colts (now based in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
) and Panthers are members of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Richardson retired from running his Hardee's franchises in 1995, but remains owner of the Panthers today.
The 1970s
In the early 1970s, the regular menu featured the Huskee Junior (a two-patty burger with a unique sauce) and the Deluxe Huskee (a quarter-pound burger with mayonnaise). Hardee's purchased Sandy's in 1972, but primarily emphasized franchise growth on the strength of its menu. Another acquisition occurred in the late 1970s when Hardee's purchased the Utah based burger chain Dee's Drive-InDee's Drive-In
Dee's Drive-In was a fast food hamburger drive-in restaurant chain based in Utah. The chain was founded by Dee Frederick Anderson, who got his start selling hamburgers operating the Ute Hamburger Shop near the University of Utah in the 1920s. Anderson opened the first Dee's Restaurant in 1932...
.
During the 1970s, when Hardee's saw rapid growth on the strength of its Big Twin (a two-patty burger using a distinctive cheese and sauce combination) and Big Deluxe (a quarter-pound burger with a unique, tangy mayonaise) sandwiches. Both burgers were "charco-broiled" and were cooked in a process using heated "char-rocks" that caused the fat content dripping off the cooking beef to ignite for a distinctive "flame-broiled" taste. The charco-broiling process was discontinued throughout the '80s and '90s. The name "charbroiling," but not the process (no rocks) was reintroduced in 2001 with the addition of a Thickburger menu.
Television advertising campaigns in the early 1970s included cartoon characters of a '49er, "Gilbert Giddyup", and his nemesis, a purple-coated villain named "Speedy McGreedy". Radio advertisements featured "Mama Cass" Elliot
Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot , born Ellen Naomi Cohen and also known as Mama Cass, was an American singer and member of The Mamas & the Papas. After the group broke up, she released five solo albums. Elliot was found dead in her room in London, England, from an apparent heart attack after two weeks of sold-out...
singing the jingle "Hurry on down to Hardee's, where the burgers are charco broiled!"
In 1978 Hardee's introduced the made-from-scratch biscuit to its menu. The program was introduced by a pilot program at its franchise store in Macon, GA. The program was a huge success and continues today. The initial test required a retrofit of an existing kitchen with a blodget convection oven and flat grill. Today's stores are designed with all of the necessary equipment in place. Initially Hardee's offered a sausage, bacon and ham biscuit. All were available with egg and cheese added for an additional charge. Today's breakfast menu offers a wide variety of selections including the favorite "Cinnamon Raisin Biscuit".
The 1980s and 1990s
Hardee's has had numerous specialties as part of their menu. For a time they were a competitor to Arby'sArby's
Arby's is a fast food restaurant chain in the United States and Canada. Roark Capital Group owns 81.5% of the company, with Wendy's Company owning the other 18.5%. It is primarily known for selling roast beef sandwiches and curly fries. The Arby's menu also includes chicken sandwiches, appetizers,...
for roast beef sandwiches, an item still sold at some franchised locations. Later, Hardee's entered into competition with fried chicken on its menu. Hardee's was purchased by Imasco in 1981. They also own Imperial Tobacco (Canada), Peoples Drug
Peoples Drug
Peoples Drug was a chain of drug stores based in Alexandria, VA, a suburb of Washington, D.C.. Founded in 1904, Peoples was subsequently purchased by Lane Drug in 1975, Imasco in 1984, and finally by CVS in 1990, which continued to run the stores under the Peoples banner until 1994, at which time...
(USA, later sold to CVS), Shopper's Drug Mart (Canada), and The Tinder Box.
Hardee's was affected by the buy-out phenomena of the 1980s. A new management team in the early 1980s seeking to cut costs immediately changed the signature burger recipe. When sales declined, the chain eliminated altogether the flagship menu items of the Big Twin and the Big Deluxe. However, these menu items can still be found at international franchised outlets, such as in the Middle East. The chain had over 4,000 units by 1992.
For a short time in the early 1990s, Hardee's outlets sold the popular fried chicken recipe acquired from Roy Rogers. Hardee's locations in southeastern Virginia, eastern North Carolina, and Millvale, Pennsylvania
Millvale, Pennsylvania
Millvale is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the Allegheny River, opposite Pittsburgh. In the past, it had iron manufactures, saw works, stone works, lumber mills, breweries, etc. In 1900, the number of people residing here totaled 6,736; in 1910, 7,861; and in 1940, 7,811...
just outside of Pittsburgh still serve chicken today, as well as the traditional sides such as mashed potatoes & gravy, cole slaw, and biscuits. At one point, the chain expanded to over 4,000 locations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but the chain has contracted to less than 2,000 in recent years. Some newer locations have opened up at truck stop
Truck stop
A truck stop is a commercial facility predicated on providing fuel, parking, and often food and other services to motorists and truck drivers...
locations, some in conjunction with Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores
Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is a chain of more than 200 truck stop and convenience stores located in more than 30 states.- History :...
.
In addition to Roy Rogers, they also owned Rax Roast Beef for a period of time. Many newer or remodeled locations in areas where Burger Chef
Burger Chef
Burger Chef was an American fast-food restaurant chain founded in 1954 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The chain expanded throughout the United States, and at its peak, was second only to McDonald's in the number of locations nationwide...
once had a presence display photos of Burger Chef locations in addition to older Hardee's locations.
Hardee's today
In 1997, the chain was acquired by CKE RestaurantsCKE Restaurants
CKE Restaurants, Inc. is the parent company of the Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Green Burrito, and Red Burrito restaurant chains. Its headquarters are in Carpinteria, California. It was incorporated in 1964 by Carl's Jr. founder Carl Karcher as Carl Karcher Enterprises, Inc.- History :In 2007, it sold...
, the parent company of the Carl's Jr.
Carl's Jr.
Carl's Jr. is an American fast-food restaurant chain located mostly in the Western and Southwestern United States. The first store has opened in Canada in Kelowna, BC. They are in the process of expanding to Mexico, Malaysia, Denmark, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Russia, Vietnam,...
fast-food restaurant chain. (Imasco retained the few remaining Roy Rogers locations until 2003, at which time the trademark and franchise system were reportedly purchased by Frederick, Maryland-based Plamondon Enterprises.) Over time, some Hardee's restaurants were converted to serve higher-quality hamburgers and other products available from Carl's Jr., and also took on the Carl's Jr. star logo in the process. Some locations were simply fully rebranded Carl's Jr. - this was a year after Wendy's
Wendy's
Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...
and Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons Inc. is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, after an initial venture in...
purchased most of the Hardee's stores in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Hardee's moved its headquarters from Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Rocky Mount is an All-America City Award-winning city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plains of the state of North Carolina. Although it was not formally incorporated until February 28, 1867, the North Carolina community that became the city of Rocky Mount dates from the beginning of...
, to downtown St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, in 2001.
CKE Restaurants has been dual branding some Hardee's locations with Red Burrito, similar to its Green Burrito
Green Burrito
Green Burrito is an American fast-food restaurant chain run by CKE Restaurants, Inc., located mostly in the Western and Southwestern United States and serving fast-food Tex-Mex....
/Carl's Jr.
Carl's Jr.
Carl's Jr. is an American fast-food restaurant chain located mostly in the Western and Southwestern United States. The first store has opened in Canada in Kelowna, BC. They are in the process of expanding to Mexico, Malaysia, Denmark, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Russia, Vietnam,...
dual brand concept. This is a similar strategy used by Yum! Brands
Yum! Brands
Yum! Brands, Inc. or Yum! is a United States-based Fortune 500 corporation. Yum! operates or licenses Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and WingStreet restaurants worldwide....
with its KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
, Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
, Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...
, A&W Restaurants
A&W Restaurants
A&W Restaurants, Inc., is a chain of fast-food restaurants, distinguished by its draft root beer and root beer floats. A&W was arguably the first successful food franchise company, starting franchises in 1921 in California. Today it has franchise locations throughout the world, serving a typical...
and Long John Silvers concepts to help expand brands without the additional expense of new buildings and land.
Hardee's has found a niche market in smaller towns that may lack franchises of the other major hamburger chains. Hardee's closed its restaurants in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
on December 27, 2006, due to problems with franchising rights.
On March 12, 2007, the first-ever franchised Hardee's restaurant (located in Rocky Mount, North Carolina) was demolished to make room for a veterans memorial park named after Jack Laughery, a former Hardee's executive and U.S. Army veteran.
As of the fiscal year ended January 25, 2010, CKE Restaurants, Inc., through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,141 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 42 states and in 14 countries, including 1,905 Hardee's restaurants and 1,224 Carl's Jr. restaurants. Hardee's recently opened another branch in Pakistan. In May 2011, Hardee's opened a branch in Alma-Ata, Almaty, Kazakhstan, at the TOO Mega Center Alma-Ata, with another store opening in the same city just weeks after. Although the stores are named Hardee's, they serve the Carl's Jr. menu. There is also a Hardee's branch in Muscat, Oman
Muscat, Oman
Muscat is the capital of Oman. It is also the seat of government and largest city in the Governorate of Muscat. As of 2008, the population of the Muscat metropolitan area was 1,090,797. The metropolitan area spans approximately and includes six provinces called wilayats...
Burger Chef copyright dispute
In January 2007, Hardee's had a challenge filed against it with the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office by River West Brands, LLC of ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for the use of the Burger Chef
Burger Chef
Burger Chef was an American fast-food restaurant chain founded in 1954 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The chain expanded throughout the United States, and at its peak, was second only to McDonald's in the number of locations nationwide...
trademark and name. Shortly thereafter, Hardee's reissued the Burger Chef
Burger Chef
Burger Chef was an American fast-food restaurant chain founded in 1954 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The chain expanded throughout the United States, and at its peak, was second only to McDonald's in the number of locations nationwide...
Big Shef sandwich in Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
, as a trial offering and later in other Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
markets for a limited time. The reissue of the Big Shef has also utilized the Burger Chef name and logo in advertisements in the markets in which it is offered, and the claim was to provide Burger Chef fans with their Big Shef "fix". On April 16, 2009, River West Brands dropped their petition for cancellation and both parties agreed to pay their own attorneys fees.
Hardee's vs. Harvey's
Due to a trademark dispute with Canada's Harvey'sHarvey's
Harvey's is a fast food restaurant chain that operates in Canada, with locations concentrated in southern Ontario, southern Quebec, as well as the Maritimes, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Alberta. It serves hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, onion rings, and other traditional fast food fare. The...
burger chain, the Hardee's name cannot be used in that country. Instead, CKE Restaurants has opened stores there under the Carl's Jr. name.
Advertising
In the early days of the take-over by CKE, Hardee's began to use the anthropomorphic smiling star logo that Carl's Jr. had used for many years. "The Hardee's Star", as it was now called, appeared in a series of commercials played by a dwarf in a costume likeness of the star. Norm MacdonaldNorm MacDonald
Norman Gene "Norm" Macdonald is a Canadian stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is best known for his five seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, which included anchoring Weekend Update for three years...
provided the voice for the Hardee's Star. For a time, many Hardee's locations even gave out free antenna toppers in the shape of the recently adopted star. The star remains Hardee's logo, but the mascot ceased appearing in the commercials with the advent of the Thickburger campaign. A new Hardee's logo was unveiled in 2006 that featured script lettering and further minimized the smiling star icon.
NASCAR Sponsorship
The company sponsored the Winston Cup cars driven by Bobby AllisonBobby Allison
Robert Arthur Allison is a former NASCAR Winston Cup driver and was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers. His two sons, Clifford Allison and Davey Allison followed him into racing, and both died within a year of each other....
, Cale Yarborough
Cale Yarborough
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough , is a farmer, businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships...
and Alan Kulwicki
Alan Kulwicki
Alan Dennis Kulwicki , nicknamed "Special K" and the "Polish Prince", was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series racecar driver. He started racing at local short tracks in Wisconsin before moving up to regional stock car touring series...
throughout the 1980s and in 1990, Hardee's sponsored Russ Wheeler's car in the film Days of Thunder
Days of Thunder
Days of Thunder is a 1990 American auto racing film released by Paramount Pictures, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott. The cast includes Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes and Michael Rooker. The film also features appearances...
. The company also sponsored Ward Burton's Busch Grand National and Winston Cup cars from 1993 to 1995. Hardee's sponsored a part time effort by Greg Sacks in 1997, and most recently sponsored Jeff Burton
Jeff Burton
Jeffrey Brian "Jeff" Burton , also referred to as JB or The Mayor, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who drives the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing. Burton is the younger brother of Ward Burton, who is a former Sprint Cup driver...
's Busch Grand National car in 1999.
Thickburger campaign
Early commercials during the Thickburger campaign made a point of acknowledging and apologizing for the poor quality of Hardee's past cuisine and service. Later commercials demonstrated adults attempting to fit their mouths around the large Thickburger. One of the first commercials featured Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
advertising the Thickburger.
Children's advertising
Although the franchise would come to humorously criticize such concepts, Hardee's has conceived several memorable Kids' MealHappy Meal
A "Happy Meal" is a meal specifically marketed at children, sold at the fast-food chain McDonald's since June 1979. A toy is typically included with the food, both of which are usually contained in a small box or paper bag with the McDonald's logo....
toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s throughout the past few decades. The 1980s featured popular, nonposeable figures
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
of the Smurfs as well as Beach Bunnies. Renditions of other cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
characters would later premiere, including the Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters is a 1984 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis and follows three eccentric parapsychologists in New York City, who start a...
and Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
characters.
Other popular licenses were garnered as well. Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
characters would be featured in the 1990 Marvel Super Hero Vehicles collection. And in the summer of 2000, DC Comics'
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
DC Super Heroes finally found a spot in the Hardee's toy scene.
Possibly the most well known Hardee's premiums, however, would be the Dancin' Singin' California Raisins. Several collections of the nonposeable figures were produced in 1987, 1988, 1991, and once again in 2001. Traditionally, they would be available with the purchase of Hardee's cinnamon raisin biscuits.
Hardee's also marketed special Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
celebratory pins in the early 1990s.
Criticism
Several Hardee's ad campaigns in the 2000s have been criticized by groups such as Parents Television CouncilParents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
for their sexually suggestive nature. Recent campaigns targeted include "More Than a Piece of Meat" featuring scantily clad women appearing to receive sexual gratification from consuming Hardee's products, and "Name Our Holes" — an ad campaign and website promoting Hardee's Biscuit Holes.
Monster Thickburger
The burger contains 1,410 calorieCalorie
The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It was first defined by Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat, entering French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule...
s (5,900 kJ), 107 grams of fat
Fat
Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are triglycerides, triesters of glycerol and any of several fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure...
, and 2,740 mg of sodium
Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
.
Ingredients include a sesame-seed bun
Bun
A bun is a small, usually sweet, bread. Commonly they are hand-sized or smaller, domed in shape, with a flat bottom. A bun can also be a savory bread roll similar to a bap or barmcake....
, mayonnaise
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise, , often abbreviated as mayo, is a sauce. It is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk and either vinegar or lemon juice, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. Lecithin in the egg yolk is the emulsifier. Mayonnaise varies in color but is often white, cream, or pale...
, bacon
Bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
, cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
, butter-flavored shortening
Shortening
Shortening is any fat that is solid at room temperature and used to make crumbly pastry. The reason it is called shortening is because it prevents cross-linkage between gluten molecules. Cross linking is what causes doughs to be sticky. Seeing as cake is not meant to be sticky, shortening is used...
and two patties of ground beef
Ground beef
Beef mince, ground beef, hamburger meat , hamburg or minced meat is a minced meat food, made of beef finely chopped by a mincer. It is used in many recipes including hamburgers and cottage pie...
made from Angus cattle
Angus cattle
Angus cattle are a breed of cattle much used in beef production. They were developed from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeenshire and Angus in Scotland, and are known as Aberdeen Angus in most parts of the world....
for a total of 2/3 lb
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
(300 g uncooked) of meat.
Breakfast
While Hardee's has experienced extensive changes in its lunch and dinner menus over the years, its breakfast menu has remained largely unchanged. As a result, Hardee's still retains significant customer loyalty. The average Hardee's restaurant generates 40 to 45% of its business from breakfast, and the median age of its breakfast customers is 45, as it is particularly popular among the elderly in the SoutheasternSoutheastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
states.
The core of the Hardee's breakfast menu is its biscuit sandwiches
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
, which reflects the southern origins of the chain. The meats on the biscuit sandwiches vary regionally. Most Hardee's biscuits have traditional fare such as a sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
, bacon
Bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
, or ham
Ham
Ham is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
. More unusual biscuit sandwiches with chicken fried steak
Chicken fried steak
Chicken fried steak is a dish consisting of a piece of steak coated with seasoned flour and pan-fried. It is associated with Texas cuisine...
, and smoked sausage can be found in the southeast, but are more difficult to find in Hardee's outside this region. Hardee's also features biscuits and gravy on its breakfast menu.
In 2002, CKE Restaurants discontinued several breakfast menu items, including the popular cinnamon raisin biscuit. It was part of an attempt by Hardee's to focus on a new burger menu like its sibling restaurant, Carl's Jr. The move was not popular with some customers who had not fully conformed to the new menu, and the restaurant experienced less business consequently. A year later, the removed items were returned to the menu, and Hardee's advertised the re-additions on regional television.
Low-carb
Hardee's features low-carb items on both the breakfast and regular menus. Hardees carries a Karoushtopher Thickburger the same as an Original Thickburger but with a Lettuce Leaf Wrap instead of a sesame seed bun. This burger was introduced at international franchises in the Middle East.International menu
The only remaining international Hardee's franchises are located in countries in the Middle East and Pakistan, most being owned and operated by Americana Group.The menu at these locations is very similar to the Hardee's menu of the 80s and 90s in the US. Items like the Big Deluxe, original Frisco Burger, Big Roast Beef, and Big Cookie (among others) are available at all outlets. Despite adopting the newer logos, appearance and slogan from the US Hardee's, the outlets in the Middle East do not serve any burgers under the Thickburger title. They did introduce the Low-Carb Thickburger at one point, but it was dropped from the menu shortly thereafter. Other burgers such as the Portabello Mushroom burger and Five Star Burger (renamed version of the Six Dollar Burger) are available, but are not marketed as "Thickburgers".
Global locations
| Countries formerly with Hardee's: |
External links
- Hardees.com, Hardee's official website
- MyTownMy Hardees.com
- Portfolio.com, Interactive graphic comparing the most unhealthy fast food burgers. From Conde Nast Portfolio
- IndyStar.com, Indianapolis Star Article About Hardee's Burger Chef Trademark challenge
- USPto.gov, Hardee's being challenged for Burger Chef trademark
- Captainerniesshowboat.com, Sandy's, national fast food chain bought out by Hardees in 1973
- FindArticles.com, Nation's Restaurant News, August 11, 2003
- USAtoday.com, Article on the release of the Monster Thickburger with information on the marketing and success