Carl's Jr. Makes Lettuce Luxurious: Launches New Line of Indulgent Salads with Ad Featuring Kim Kardashian

By: Carl's Jr. | 2 Shares 174 Reads

Who says salads can't be hot?

CARPINTERIA, Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE) -- With three new premium salads featuring warm grilled chicken and a hot new ad featuring Kim Kardashian, Carl's Jr.(R) wants to know: who says salads can't be hot? Today, the restaurant chain launches a line of new premium grilled chicken entrée salads that are indulgent, delicious and just as enticing as its newest commercial star, Kim Kardashian.

Carl's Jr. boasts a long history of innovative menu offerings and was the first fast-food restaurant to feature salad bars in 1974. In 1988, Carl's Jr. also became one of the first to offer premium packaged fast-food salad, the Charbroiled Chicken Salad, which has received an upgrade in the latest product rollout.

The line of new entrée salads comes in three varieties, each served on a bed of spring salad mix:

Cranberry, Apple, Walnut Grilled Chicken Salad: Featuring grilled, marinated chicken on top of feta cheese and crisp apple slices, served with dried cranberries, glazed walnuts and a delicious, naturally-flavored raspberry vinaigrette. The salad mix was also upgraded to a blend of more than 10 varieties of lettuces including Green Leaf, Baby Spinach, and Arugula. While it's packed with flavor, the new salad has only 450 calories. Priced at $4.99 at participating locations.
Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad: Warm grilled, marinated chicken on top of sliced red onions, roasted corn and black beans, shredded cheese and bacon bits with a chipotle Caesar dressing and crunchy seasoned tortilla strips. Priced at $4.99 at participating locations.
Original Grilled Chicken Salad: Warm grilled, marinated chicken on top of red onions, shredded cheese, fresh wedge tomatoes, cucumber slices and croutons served with a choice of dressing. When topped with Carl's Jr. Low Fat Balsamic Dressing, the salad contains only 235 calories. Priced at $4.79 at participating locations.

"Carl's Jr. pioneered premium quality entrée salads in fast-food over 20 years ago but other chains have caught up to us in that time while we were focused on bringing sit-down restaurant quality burgers to fast-food consumers," said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Carl's Jr. "Our new line of Grilled Chicken Salads put Carl's Jr. squarely back in the forefront with salads that are just as big and indulgent as the burgers people have come to expect from us. With ingredients like grilled, marinated chicken, dried cranberries and candied walnuts, these salads are so full of flavor that even our most passionate burger lovers will be enticed by them.

"And who better to help make people aware of these delicious new salads than Kim Kardashian?" Haley added. "Kim is very hot with both young guys and young gals. She was great to work with and really loved the new salads when she tried them, so it was easy for her to make eating one as captivating to watch as one of our burger commercials."

In the ad, Kardashian is shown enjoying one of her favorite past times - a luxurious picnic in bed.

"It's true, I love to have bed picnics," says Kardashian. "I'm such a neat freak, but I put out my towel and eat in bed, and then when it gets all messy I take a hot bubble bath after to wash it off."

Created by Los Angeles-based advertising agency Mendelsohn|Zien and directed by Chris Applebaum, who also worked on the chain's Paris Hilton and Padma Lakshmi commercials, the ad will debut next week on the Carl's Jr. Facebook page and YouTube channel , and on television across Carl's Jr. markets starting Dec. 28, 2009.

Kardashian will also host "The Ultimate Salad Lunch Date," a live event on Carl's Jr. Facebook page (www.facebook.com/carlsjr) Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2009 at noon PST. During the interactive lunch, Kim will chat via webcam with consumers while enjoying her favorite Carl's Jr. salad. Consumers who purchase any of the new salads between Wednesday, Dec. 30 and Tuesday, Jan. 12 will be given a code granting access to ask Kim questions during the lunch date. No code is required to simply watch the event via streaming video.

There is also an augmented reality portion of the promotion, with Kim Kardashian appearing in 3D, inviting guests to join her for the lunch. Following the invitation, viewers can have the 3D image of Kim twirl, blow a kiss, strike a pose and more. The digital elements of the promotion are being handled by 72andSunny, Carl's Jr.'s digital agency of record.

Additionally and for a limited time, participating Carl's Jr. restaurants will offer a 42-oz. promotional cup featuring the new Grilled Chicken Salads and Kardashian.

Keep tuned to the Carl's Jr. Facebook page or YouTube channel for more information about the new product offerings and partnership with Kardashian. Both platforms will also feature exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the star.

About Carl's Jr.

Carl's Jr. is celebrating more than 65 years in the quick-service industry. What began as a lone hot dog cart in Los Angeles, Calif. in 1941 is today an international organization that employs nearly 30,000 people worldwide. Carl's Jr. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CKE Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: CKR) of Carpinteria, Calif. As of the end of its fiscal 2010 third quarter, CKE Restaurants, Inc., through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,147 franchised, licensed or company-operated restaurants in 42 states and in 14 countries, including 1,221 Carl's Jr. restaurants and 1,913 Hardee's(R) restaurants.

SOURCE: Carl's Jr.

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