Hardee's Franchise Overview

About Hardee's

Hardee's Food Systems, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CKE Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: CKR) of Carpinteria, Calif. As of the third fiscal quarter ended Nov. 7, 2005, CKE Restaurants, Inc., through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,163 franchised or company-owned restaurants in 43 states and in 13 countries, including 1,042 Carl's Jr. restaurants, 2,004 Hardee's restaurants and 101 La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill restaurants.

Franchise History

In 1960, Wilber Hardee opened the first Hardee's® restaurant in Greenville, North Carolina. The walk-up restaurant offered no dining room or wait staff, and served a limited menu, but Hardee was confident he would succeed. He was right. Customers lined the streets for blocks and Hardee's net profit averaged $1,000 a week, which was big money for that time! The popularity caught the attention of Jim Gardner and Leonard Rawls, Jr. two Rocky Mount businessmen, who later partnered with Hardee, creating Hardee's Food Systems, Inc. On Friday, May 5, 1961, the restaurant partners opened their first company-owned, red and white tiled Hardee's in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The menu featured charco-broiled hamburgers (15¢), cheeseburgers (20¢), soft drinks (10¢) and coffee (10¢). Five months after the opening of the first store, Hardee's gained its first franchisee, Spartan Food Systems. Soon after, they were joined by Boddie-Noell Enterprises, today, the nation's largest privately held U.S. franchise in the fast food industry.