Hardees vs Carls Jr

[mcdonaat]

Which do you prefer if you could choose between one or the other? Carl's has Channel Islands Coffee, Hardees has Columbian Roast Coffee. Carl's has Ding Dong Ice Cream Sandwiches, Hardees has Apple Turnovers. Also, Hardees has Beer Battered Onion Rings, while CJ has regular onion rings, Hardees has the Frisco Breakfast Sandwich (with 10000 other things CJ doesn't), while CJ actually lists "Hardees Biscuits".

I have the liberty of living the same distance between the two, so choice isn't a big thing for me. Just wondering what would justify one over the other, and what other people would choose!

Take a look at each site's menus, they're different, but only slightly!

[corco]

I prefer Carl's actually, because I like the Western Bacon Star and I prefer Carl's onion rings. That said, I live in Hardee's country (Montana is Hardee's for some reason- I routinely go to the northwesternmost Hardee's in the country here in Helena), so I like Hardee's just fine.

[oscar]

Hardees has the Frisco Breakfast Sandwich (with 10000 other things CJ doesn't)

Carl's Jr. offers sourdough breakfast sandwiches, which seem identical to the parallel offering at Hardees.

Since breakfast is the only reason I visit either chain (and even then, only if bagel breakfast sandwiches are unavailable at McDonald's, or there are no Tim Hortons, where I'm traveling), I can't comment on other menu differences.

BTW, anyone know why McDonald's in the western states, and some other locations outside the northeast, don't offer bagel breakfast sandwiches? It's not as if bagels don't exist in those parts.

[jakeroot]

I live in Hardee's country (Montana is Hardee's for some reason- I routinely go to the northwesternmost Hardee's in the country here in Helena)

That's bizarre. Perhaps the brand has existed for too long to rebrand as Carls Jr?

It's not as if bagels don't exist in those parts.

What are these bagels you speak of? I am not familiar with them.



I frequented the Hardees in Downtown St Louis (6th and Chestnut) often when I lived there, and I always thought the service was faster than the two Carls Jr's we have near Tacoma. So, I guess I prefer Hardees. I'm not the type of person who notices geographical menu adjustments, so food-wise I couldn't comment on the difference between the two.

[kendancy66]

Does Hardees have breakfast burritos?  What is the Hardees equivalent to Green Burrito?

[roadman65]

I did not know that both existed in the same market.  Also if you live here in Florida, Orlando to be exact. Hardees which were practically everywhere are all gone now.  So my area we do not even get one for choice.

[HazMatt]

Does Hardees have breakfast burritos?  What is the Hardees equivalent to Green Burrito?

Red Burrito.  And they do have breakfast burritos, at least they did last time I went to one.

[briantroutman]

I did not know that both existed in the same market.  Also if you live here in Florida, Orlando to be exact. Hardees which were practically everywhere are all gone now.  So my area we do not even get one for choice.

I don't believe they do exist in the same market–so if you're stuck in Bakersfield, you'll never see a Hardee's, or vice versa if you're in Dayton–although apparently there are two states in which Hardee's and Carl's overlap. I see one Hardee's listed for extreme eastern Oklahoma along I-40 (Sallisaw), but all of the locations in OKC and Tulsa appear to be Carl's. Wyoming appears to have one Hardee's in Casper in one Carl's in Cheyenne.

Prior to the CKE acquisition, Hardee's had already retreated from some markets, particularly in outlying areas. We had a location in Williamsport that closed in the early '90s, and I believe there were more in New York State, New Jersey, and further northeast. Currently, the number of locations drops off quickly north of I-76.

[roadman65]

NJ, NY, and New England have none.  I do remember one on US 22 in Union back in the 70's, but it was the only one ever I remember in NJ.

The one's in Orlando closed, so if the map is correct there are still some in Florida, just not in O Town.

[SteveG1988]

NJ has one. Opened June 15th 2015 659 Somerset St somerset NJ.

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/06/hardees_opening_first_new_jersey_store.html

[Henry]

It's interesting that I was born in Hardees country, but now live in Carl's Jr. territory.

[oscar]

Shreveport LA has a few Carl's Jr.s. No others in Louisiana.

[hbelkins]

Does Hardees have breakfast burritos?  What is the Hardees equivalent to Green Burrito?

Red Burrito.  And they do have breakfast burritos, at least they did last time I went to one.

Not all the Hardee's locations in this area have Red Burritos. The one in the town where I work doesn't.

Speaking of which, our office is right down the road from them. Every so often, they will bring their leftover breakfast items to us for free. I've had many a lunch on their biscuits, sourdough sandwiches, etc., with cinnamon raisin biscuits for dessert. It's awfully nice of them.

I really like Hardee's burgers, but they're awfully pricey for fast food.

[spooky]

I did not realize until seeing that map that there are no longer any Hardees in New England.

[briantroutman]

I think it would be interesting to see a map that overlaid the various East/West divisions–Hardee's/Carl's, Hellmann's/Best Foods, Dryer's/Edy's, and so on.

[corco]

I really like Hardee's burgers, but they're awfully pricey for fast food.

I'm with you on that- the burgers are better than most other national chains, but it's usually within a dollar or two of a sit-down place (even factoring tip), so I go to them far less often than I otherwise would.

[Rothman]

I have fond memories of Carl's Jr. when I spent some time in Concord, CA.  Used to go there often for milkshakes.  Not that there was something special about them, but it was just a frequent thing I did.

Then again, I had a cousin in Kentucky that loved Hardee's.  I just sort of shrug at it; I'll stop there on a road trip if I'm hungry enough.

[kendancy66]

Does Hardees have breakfast burritos?  What is the Hardees equivalent to Green Burrito?

Red Burrito.  And they do have breakfast burritos, at least they did last time I went to one.

Not all the Hardee's locations in this area have Red Burritos. The one in the town where I work doesn't.

Speaking of which, our office is right down the road from them. Every so often, they will bring their leftover breakfast items to us for free. I've had many a lunch on their biscuits, sourdough sandwiches, etc., with cinnamon raisin biscuits for dessert. It's awfully nice of them.

I really like Hardee's burgers, but they're awfully pricey for fast food.

Not all Carl's Jr have Green Burrito also.

[Pink Jazz]

I remember seeing Hardee's on a logo sign on I-40 in Tucumcari, New Mexico back in 2002.  I believe at the time that was the only Hardee's in the entire state. It appears to be gone now, since a Google search doesn't show a Hardee's there anymore.

[Zeffy]

NJ has one. Opened June 15th 2015 659 Somerset St somerset NJ.

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/06/hardees_opening_first_new_jersey_store.html

Huh, I'm surprised they opened a store in Somerset. That area of Franklin Township is not exactly the greatest area, and is probably one of the worst in Somerset County (the other being North Plainfield).

[SP Cook]

I only go to Hardee's for breakfast now.

In the old days, before the Carl's Jr. merger, Hardee's, at least around here, was just a McDonald's clone.  They would go into smaller towns and more sketchy parts of larger towns than other chains.  And they had a slightly more varied menu, so, while they were nobody's first choice, they could draw customers by being not unacceptable to everybody in a group. 

In this area, Hardee's has been closing outlets with great frequency and those that remain are not being updated, or even repaired.

[Snappyjack]

Hardee's now has a location in Kingston, NY that opened in April, with one on the way in Middletown, NY.

[thenetwork]

Despite the branding similarities (like Hellman's/Best Foods, McCormick/Schilling,...), I never pictured them as the same company.   When I lived in NW Ohio, Hardee's never existed until Rax (roast beef restaurant, ala Arby's) went under and Hardee's quickly filled most of their spots.  So I have always associated Hardee's with Roast Beef (which they did serve, at least at the beginning) and Carl's with burgers.


I now live in Carl's territory, and I don't know if this is the same with Hardees ad's, but why do all of the Carl's TV ads have to have someone who sounds like a stoner who seems to talk down to viewers?  Even their "star" mascot looks like a stoned Kool-Aid man.

[Big John]

^^ The Hardees ads are definitely different, as they are selling sex in them.

[oscar]

^^ The Hardees ads are definitely different, as they are selling sex in them.

Different from what? Than Carl's Jr.? Seems to me the "edgier" ads from Carl's Jr/Hardees are used only for Carl's Jr., and only in some Carl's Jr. markets (for example, not Utah).