Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s Become First National Fast-Food Chains to Offer Charbroiled Turkey Burgers

CARPINTERIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Carl’s Jr.^® and Hardee’s^®, known for their innovative menus of decadent, premium-quality burgers, today announced a new line of Charbroiled Turkey Burgers. The sister brands are the first fast-food chains to offer turkey burgers on a national basis. The new product offering is available now at all Hardee’s and will be available tomorrow, Wednesday, March 23 at Carl’s Jr. locations.

“#1 Most Notable Magazine Launch of the Last 25 Years.”

The new line of Charbroiled Turkey Burgers was created in collaboration with the editors of Men’s Health and the creators of the bestselling Eat This, Not That!^® brand to offer indulgent but better-for-you food “swaps” for some of the chains’ higher-calorie beef burger options. Each of the three Charbroiled Turkey Burgers being offered at both chains has less than 500 calories.

“Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s are famous for their big, decadent, sit-down restaurant quality burgers, many of which are made with 100% Black Angus beef,” said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for CKE Restaurants, Inc., parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. “But more and more customers today are looking for great-tasting burgers that are better for them and/or are available with a beef alternative. So, we teamed up with the creators of Eat This, Not That! to develop a line of delicious - and still indulgent - Charbroiled Turkey Burgers, with toppings like guacamole, sautéed mushrooms or grilled pineapple. Ironically, several of our burgers made the “Not That!” list in the past, so we’re happy to now feature some products worthy of the “Eat This!” side. And, because we use quarter-pound turkey patties and we charbroil them, they are still very filling and taste great.”

To create the burgers, CKE’s menu development team worked hand-in-hand with Matt Goulding co-author of the Eat This, Not That! book series. CKE and Goulding developed the following five burgers to maintain a premium-quality taste that is sure to satisfy even the most discernable beef-lover looking for a lower-calorie option:

Turkey Burger (available at Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s): Features a charbroiled turkey patty, ketchup, mayonnaise, lettuce, red onion, tomato and dill pickle chips.
Teriyaki Turkey Burger (available at Carl’s Jr.): Features a charbroiled turkey patty, teriyaki sauce, grilled pineapple, Swiss cheese, red onion, tomato and lettuce.
Guacamole Turkey Burger (available at Carl’s Jr.): Features a charbroiled turkey patty, freshly-prepared guacamole, pepper-Jack cheese, tomato and lettuce.
Mushroom Swiss Turkey Burger (available at Hardee’s): Features a charbroiled turkey patty, sautéed mushrooms and two slices of Swiss cheese.
BBQ Ranch Turkey Burger (available at Hardee’s): Features a charbroiled turkey patty, BBQ sauce, red onion, tomato, lettuce and buttermilk ranch sauce.

All Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s Turkey Burgers are served on a toasted wheat bun.

“Menu items from both Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s have often landed on our ‘worst foods’ list because of their high calorie counts,” said David Zinczenko, co-author of the “Eat This, Not That!” series and editor-in-chief of Men’s Health. “So, we were excited to work with them to develop this new line of Charbroiled Turkey Burgers. This opportunity shows our brand’s impact on the fast-food industry and how Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s are doing their part by providing healthier options.”

“We totally buy into the Eat This, Not That! philosophy of making better-for-you food choices that are also still delicious and indulgent because, human nature being what it is, those are the kind of foods people will be more likely to continue to eat time and time again,” Haley continued. “We could have opted to promote carrot sticks and apple slices like some of our competitors but people just don’t buy them. When they want a burger, they want a burger, and now they can get great ones that just happen to be better for them, too. That’s a trade-off that’s easy for anyone to make.”

The launch of the new Charbroiled Turkey Burgers will also be supported with TV, radio and print ads developed by CKE’s new advertising agency of record, Los Angeles-based David & Goliath. David & Goliath’s ads for the brand will feature Gizem Memic, the reigning Miss Turkey from the Miss Universe^® pageant and will also debut the brand’s new campaign tagline: “Just the way it is.”

“Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s stand for great quality food, served up with a no-BS attitude,” said David Angelo, chairman and chief creative officer of David & Goliath. “Our goal was to simply leverage their truth and tell it in a more contemporary and conversational way. The tagline ‘Just the way it is’ does just that. It embraces the voice in all of us that's unafraid to be who we are and own it. And that's just the way it is.”

The ad, titled “Miss Turkey,” can be viewed on the brands’ YouTube channels (www.youtube.com/carlsjr and www.youtube.hardees) and will start airing nationally later this week. The Turkey Burger launch will also be supported through digital efforts on the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s Facebook pages (www.facebook.com/carlsjr and www.facebook.com/hardees).

Stay tuned to both Facebook and Twitter (www.twitter.com/carlsjr and www.twitter.com/hardees) for the latest information on all things turkey.

About CKE Restaurants Inc.

CKE Restaurants, Inc. is a privately held company headquartered in Carpinteria, Calif. As of the end of fiscal 2011, CKE, through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,159 franchised, licensed or company-operated restaurants in 42 states and 18 countries, including 1,249 Carl’s Jr. Restaurants and 1,899 Hardee’s restaurants. For more information about CKE and its brands, please visit www.ckr.com, www.carlsjr.com and www.hardees.com.

About Men’s Health

Men’s Health is the go-to source for guys seeking the latest information and expert advice in their pursuit of a healthy and active lifestyle. Published 10 times a year in the U.S. by Rodale Inc., Men’s Health is the best-selling men’s magazine on newsstands and provides its 12 million readers with the up-to-the-minute information on health, fitness, fashion, nutrition, relationships, travel, technology and finance. Men’s Health is the largest men’s lifestyle magazine brand in the world, offering 40 global editions, a host of apps for iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry subscribers, as well as branded books, eBooks and microsites. The magazine has garnered numerous industry accolades, winning a National Magazine Award in the personal service category as well as being deemed by Media Industry Newsletter as the “#1 Most Notable Magazine Launch of the Last 25 Years.” Men’s Health has also made several appearances on Advertising Age’s “A List” and Adweek’s “Hot List.” For up-to-date news from Men’s Health, visit www.menshealth.com, and get instant updates on Twitter (@MensHealthMag) and Facebook (Men’s Health).

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6655515&lang=en