Carpinteria, Calif., (BUSINESS WIRE) -- CKE Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: CKR) is celebrating the opening of its 100th Carl's Jr.(R) restaurant in Mexico. Located in Aguascalientes, Mexico, the newly-built 100th unit is operated by licensee Ricardo Cardenas.
"For the past 17 years, CKE Restaurants has experienced enormous success in Mexico and we are pleased to announce this important milestone in our ongoing expansion effort," said Andrew F. Puzder, president and CEO of CKE Restaurants. "International growth and development is a cornerstone in our company's continued success and our Mexico licensees have done a wonderful job expanding our brand internationally."
"We are proud to open the 100th Carl's Jr. in Mexico and continue the tradition of quality that customers in Mexico have come to expect over the last two decades," said Cardenas, who operates two Carl's Jr. restaurants.
Mexico is a flagship market for Carl's Jr. and hosts some of the highest volume restaurants in the CKE system. Carl's Jr. first entered the Mexico market in 1991 with licensee Junior Foods, who operates 24 Carl's Jr. units in Monterrey and two restaurants in Saltillo, making them the largest licensee in Mexico. ICR, a Carl's Jr. licensee since 1992, operates 23 restaurants in the states of Baja California and Sonora. Currently, Carl's Jr. restaurants are operating in 17 Mexican states and the Federal District, represented by 13 franchise groups. Expansion plans for 2009 include opening Carl's Jr. restaurants in the new markets of Queretaro and Tampico, Mexico.
"We pride ourselves in delivering the ultimate Carl's Jr. guest experience by pairing our big, juicy charbroiled burgers with unparalleled customer service," said licensee Ron Santolaya of Junior Foods. "We have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with CKE Restaurants and the Carl's Jr. brand, and look forward to many more."
"Carl's Jr. is a brand recognized in Mexico for delicious, mouth-watering burgers and excellent customer service and ambiance," said Jorge Lutteroth, owner of ICR. "These attributes have been the basis for our continued success and will be the pillars for our future growth."
Earlier this year, CKE Restaurants announced the opening of its 300th international restaurant in Saudi Arabia and has previously announced strategic development plans to double its international presence to more than 600 restaurants within the next five years. Currently, international units comprise approximately 10% of the CKE system with plans to grow to 20% by 2014. In its most recent fiscal year ended January 28, 2008, the company opened 50 new international franchise restaurants, the highest one-year total in company history.
About CKE Restaurants, Inc.
Headquartered in Carpinteria, California, CKE Restaurants, Inc. is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CKR". As of the end of its fiscal 2009 second quarter, ending August 11, 2008, CKE Restaurants, Inc., through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,100 franchised, licensed or company-operated restaurants in 42 states and in 14 countries, including 1,170 Carl's Jr. restaurants and 1,917 Hardee's restaurants. For more information about CKE Restaurants, please visit www.ckr.com.
SOURCE: CKE Restaurants, Inc.
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