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Carl's Jr. is a chain of fast food restaurants located mostly on the West Coast of the United States. It was started by Carl Karcher and is owned by CKE Restaurants.
Karcher got his start in the food industry by owning several hot dog stands in Los Angeles. In 1945, Karcher started a restaurant in Anaheim, California called Carl's Drive-In Barbeque. In 1956, Karcher opened the first two Carl's Jr's, so named because they were a junior version of his drive-in restaurant. The restaurant chain was characterized by its fast service and its logo, a bright yellow five pointed star.
Carl's Jr. quickly expanded, and currently has over 1000 locations in 13 U.S. states, as well as in Mexico, Guam and the Philippines. Featured food items include the Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger and the Six Dollar Burger, so called because it is allegedly of the same quality of a burger one would pay six dollars for in a sit-down restaurant. In May 2004, Carl's Jr. introduced "The Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger" in a controversial advertising campaign (see below).
In 1997, CKE Restaurants acquired Hardee's, a restaurant chain with 2500 locations on the East Coast. Over time, Hardee's restaurants were converted to be more like Carl's Jr, even adopting the same star logo.
In 2001, CKE Restaurants acquired Santa Barbara Restaurant Group, the company that owned the Green Burrito brand.
Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger Controversy
Carl's Jr. introduced its "Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger" in a television advertisement, which features Hilton Hotel heiress and reality TV star Paris Hilton in a provocative swimsuit soaping up a Bentley automobile and crawling all over it before taking a big bite out of the burger.
The has drawn criticism from television watchdog groups, including the Parents Television Council. The research director for the PTC, Melissa Caldwell, says; "This commercial is basically soft-core porn. The way she moves, the way she puts her finger in her mouth - it's very suggestive and very titillating." The Los Angeles, California based group says they plan to mobilize their more than 1 million members to contact the restaurant chain and voice their concern.
Andy Puzder, CEO of Carl's Jr., says the group needs to "get a life...This isn't Janet Jackson -- there is no nipple in this. There is no nudity, there is no sex acts -- it's a beautiful model in a swimsuit washing a car."
In addition to featuring the ad on their web site, Carl's Jr. has also built a separate Web site to play a longer version of the commercial.
A similar ad with Hilton for CKE's Hardee's hamburger chain is expected to air June 2005.
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Sources
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