Carl's Jr. facts for kids
Carl's Jr. Restaurants LLC is a popular American fast-food chain. It is part of CKE Restaurant Holdings, Inc., which also owns Hardee's. You can find Carl's Jr. restaurants in North and South America, Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Africa.
In 2016, Carl's Jr. was ranked among the top 500 franchises in the United States by Entrepreneur magazine. This ranking looks at how strong, stable, and fast-growing a franchise is.
As of March 2016, CKE, the company that owns Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, had over 3,600 restaurants. These were either owned by the company or run by franchisees in 44 U.S. states and 38 other countries and territories.
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Logo used since September 22, 2022.
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A Carl's Jr. in Rancho Cordova, California on September 20, 2008.
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Formerly
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Carl's Drive-In Barbecue (1941–1956) |
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Fast-food restaurants Franchising |
| Founded | July 17, 1941 Anaheim, California, U.S. |
| Founders | Carl Karcher Margaret Karcher |
| Headquarters | 6700 Tower Circle Franklin, Tennessee 37067, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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1,062 (US domestic, 2021) 2,124 (global, 2021) 3,186 (Total) |
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Area served
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United States (incl. Puerto Rico), Canada, Australia, Cambodia, Chile, China, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom |
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Key people
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Caleb Hubbard (president & CEO) |
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| Parent | CKE Restaurants (1966–present) |
Contents
The Story of Carl's Jr.
Starting with a Hot Dog Cart
The story of Carl's Jr. began in 1941. A truck driver named Carl Karcher and his wife, Margaret Karcher, borrowed $311. They used this money, plus $15 they had saved, to buy a hot dog cart in Los Angeles.
From their cart, they sold hot dogs, chili dogs, and tamales for ten cents each. Soda cost five cents. In just a few years, Carl and Margaret owned four hot dog stands.
From Drive-In to Carl's Jr.
In 1945, the Karchers moved to Anaheim, California. There, they opened their first full restaurant called Carl's Drive-In Barbecue. In 1946, they added hamburgers to their menu.
In 1956, Carl Karcher opened the first two Carl's Jr. restaurants. He called them "Jr." because they were smaller versions of his drive-in restaurant. These first two Carl's Jr. locations were in Anaheim and Brea. By the end of the 1950s, there were four Carl's Jr. restaurants in Orange County, California. Carl's younger brother, Donald F. Karcher, helped manage these new restaurants.
Growing Bigger and Better
By the 1960s, Carl had 24 restaurants in Southern California. In 1966, the company officially became Carl Karcher Enterprises, Inc. (now CKE Restaurants). They started to expand the chain even more in 1968. The restaurants focused on a smaller menu for faster service, offering charbroiled hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, and milkshakes.
By 1975, there were over 100 Carl's Jr. locations in Southern California. The company then expanded into northern California. In 1977, Carl's Jr. was the first fast-food chain to offer salad bars in all its restaurants. The first Carl's Jr. outside of California opened in Las Vegas in 1979. By the end of the 1970s, sales reached over $100 million.
In 1980, the company hired its 10,000th employee. In 1981, with 300 restaurants, Carl Karcher Enterprises became a public company, meaning people could buy shares of its stock. In 1984, Carl's Jr. started allowing people to open their own Carl's Jr. restaurants as franchises.
The menu grew in the 1980s. They added the Western Bacon Cheeseburger, breakfast items, charbroiled chicken sandwiches, and self-service soda fountains. By the end of the decade, sales were over $480 million from 534 restaurants. Carl's Jr. also opened its first international restaurants in the Pacific Rim.
Changes and New Ideas
In the 1990s, the company went through some changes. Carl Karcher left his role as chairman in 1993. A new team took over in 1994. Carl Karcher Enterprises then became a part of CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc..
In 1997, CKE Restaurants bought Hardee's, another large restaurant chain. This meant Carl's Jr. and Hardee's were now part of the same family of restaurants.
In 2001, Carl's Jr. introduced the Thickburger line, including the 1/2 lb. Six Dollar Burger. Hardee's also started selling these popular burgers in 2003. In 2002, CKE Restaurants also bought the Green Burrito brand. Now, some Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants are "co-branded," meaning they sell both Carl's Jr. and Green Burrito food.
On January 11, 2008, Carl Karcher, the founder of Carl's Jr., passed away at age 90. Many Carl's Jr. restaurants lowered their flags to half-staff to honor him.
In the 2010s, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's added Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders to their menus. In 2011, they also became the first national fast-food chains to offer Charbroiled Turkey Burgers.
In December 2014, Carl's Jr. introduced the All-Natural Burger. This burger featured a beef patty from grass-fed, free-range cows, with no added hormones, antibiotics, or steroids. It was the first major fast-food chain to offer such a burger. In December 2015, they added the All-Natural Turkey Burger.
In 2018, CKE Restaurants decided to make Carl's Jr. and Hardee's feel like separate brands again. They started remodeling Hardee's restaurants and creating different advertising campaigns for each brand. While they had similar menus, the plan was for them to slowly become more unique.
In January 2019, Carl's Jr. was one of the first large fast-food chains to add a Beyond Meat patty to its menu, offering a plant-based option.
In mid-March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, all restaurants temporarily stopped indoor dining. Customers could still get their food through drive-thru, pick-up, or take-away services.
In 2024, Carl's Jr. announced that it uses 100% cage-free eggs for its U.S. locations. This change came after animal welfare groups asked for it.
Carl's Jr. Around the World
Carl's Jr. first came to Canada in 2011, opening a restaurant in Kelowna, British Columbia. More locations followed in British Columbia and Ontario.
In November 2015, Carl's Jr. opened its 200th restaurant in Mexico. The brand had first entered the Mexican market in 1991.
In August 2016, Carl's Jr. opened its first location in India in New Delhi.
As of 2017, CKE had over 3,600 restaurants in 44 U.S. states and 39 other countries and territories. Carl's Jr. is currently in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, and Turkey.
In May 2024, a company called Boparan Restaurant Group announced plans to bring Carl's Jr. to the United Kingdom.
In July 2024, the company that ran Carl's Jr. in Australia faced some financial difficulties. While some restaurants closed, many others are still open and will now be directly managed by CKE Restaurants. CKE is still committed to growing in Australia.
Helping the Community
Carl's Jr. and Hardee's hold an annual "Stars for Heroes" fundraising campaign in their restaurants. This campaign raises money to help U.S. military veterans and their families.
Advertising Campaigns
Carl's Jr. has had many different advertising campaigns over the years. In January 1997, commercials featuring NBA player Dennis Rodman were temporarily pulled due to his actions during games.
In March 2017, Carl's Jr. launched a new commercial featuring a character named Carl Hardee Sr. (played by Charles Esten). This campaign aimed to shift the focus back to the food itself and less on other types of advertising. Carl Hardee Sr. was expected to become the new spokesperson for the company. This campaign also brought new, updated logos for both Carl's Jr. and Hardee's.
In 2018, CKE started creating separate advertising campaigns for Hardee's and Carl's Jr. again. For Carl's Jr., they launched The Call of Carl's campaign, which featured the voice of actor Matthew McConaughey.
See also
In Spanish: Carl's Jr. para niños
- Hardee's
- List of hamburger restaurants
