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!
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.
Quote from: mcdonaat on June 19, 2015, 12:13:59 AM
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.
Quote from: corco on June 19, 2015, 12:26:14 AM
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?
Quote from: oscar on June 19, 2015, 12:54:39 AM
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.
Does Hardees have breakfast burritos? What is the Hardees equivalent to Green Burrito?
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.
Quote from: kendancy66 on June 19, 2015, 02:02:33 AM
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.
Quote from: roadman65 on June 19, 2015, 02:31:53 AM
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.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/CarlsJrHardeesLocations.svg/1020px-CarlsJrHardeesLocations.svg.png)
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.
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
It's interesting that I was born in Hardees country, but now live in Carl's Jr. territory.
Shreveport LA has a few Carl's Jr.s. No others in Louisiana.
Quote from: HazMatt on June 19, 2015, 08:21:14 AM
Quote from: kendancy66 on June 19, 2015, 02:02:33 AM
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.
I did not realize until seeing that map that there are no longer any Hardees in New England.
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.
Quote from: hbelkins on June 19, 2015, 01:18:13 PM
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.
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.
Quote from: hbelkins on June 19, 2015, 01:18:13 PM
Quote from: HazMatt on June 19, 2015, 08:21:14 AM
Quote from: kendancy66 on June 19, 2015, 02:02:33 AM
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.
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.
Quote from: SteveG1988 on June 19, 2015, 12:42:56 PM
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).
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.
Hardee's now has a location in Kingston, NY that opened in April, with one on the way in Middletown, NY.
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.
^^ The Hardees ads are definitely different, as they are selling sex in them.
Quote from: Big John on June 20, 2015, 12:17:10 PM
^^ 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).
I've been seeing TV spots that are for both Carl Jrs and Hardees in the same ad.
Growing up in South Carolina in the 1970s, Hardees was usually the first national fast food chain to come to the smaller towns.
mike
Quote from: thenetwork on June 20, 2015, 11:59:22 AM
Despite the branding similarities (like Hellman's/Best Foods, McCormick/Schilling,...), I never pictured them as the same company...I have always associated Hardee's with Roast Beef (which they did serve, at least at the beginning) and Carl's with burgers.
If you weren't already aware, I should point out that Hardee's and Carl's Jr. weren't related until CKE (Carl's parent company) bought Hardee's in 1997.
Originally, the attraction of Hardee's was that their burgers were broiled over charcoal. That, and the fact that their small-town NC origins led them to serve many rural South communities that McDonald's and other major chains passed over. The chain probably peaked with the addition of made-from-scratch breakfast biscuits in 1978. After that, they expanded at the expense of that which made them unique.
Much of the expansion came through acquisition and conversion of parts or all of other chains (Burger Chef, Roy Rogers, Rax). The charbroilers were dropped, corners were cut, and Hardee's soon found itself in a race to the bottom as just another national burger joint.
Hardee's probably hit bottom in the mid '90s as they got wrapped up in "value menu" wars with the national players. A solid decade or more of de-investment had left the chain in rough shape. I remember stopping at a Hardee's in Martinsburg, WV around 1995–the most depressing fast food experience of my life. It was the dining equivalent of stepping into an old Kmart.
Quote from: thenetwork on June 20, 2015, 11:59:22 AMWhen 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.
I loved Rax roast beef. I think there are a few locations still in existence, although I haven't seen one in forever. Back in the late 80s, I had to go to London, Ky. for work once a week. They had a Rax there, and I ate lunch there just about every time I was there.
My favorite sandwich was their BBC (Beef, Bacon & Cheddar). I don't know if they could get by with naming a sandwich that today. :bigass:
Quote from: thenetwork on June 20, 2015, 11:59:22 AM
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.
I think you are confusing Carl's jr with jack in the box. Carl's jr commercials are all about sexy models eating stuff they would never do in real life because then they would be overweight regular people like us
Quote from: kendancy66 on June 20, 2015, 09:02:35 PM
Quote from: thenetwork on June 20, 2015, 11:59:22 AM
...Even their "star" mascot looks like a stoned Kool-Aid man.
I think you are confusing Carl's jr with jack in the box.
I don't think he was referring to Jack in the Box's Jack clown-head character; I think he was referring to the smiling star character in their logo...
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fseeklogo.com%2Fimages%2FC%2FCarl_s_Jr_-logo-2443A114F7-seeklogo.com.gif&hash=0c3c3171e0152b48bf1f621847aa6da3ff707b53)
Hardees had charbroiled burghers in Glassboro NJ in the early 1970's.
Seeing the new Carl's Jr. commercials cracks me up since the background is the USS Intrepid and NYC. There are no Carl's Jr. or Hardee's there!
Rick
Quote from: hbelkins on June 20, 2015, 05:24:03 PM
I loved Rax roast beef. I think there are a few locations still in existence, although I haven't seen one in forever.
There is still one in Joliet, IL, on US 52 a short distance west of IL 7.
I really liked Rax. As I understand it, the chain went through bankruptcy several times and the handful of remaining outlets can keep being "Rax" in whatever territory they had without any corporate support. Some guy in Ironton, OH bought the name for the rest of the country from the bankruptcy court, but I don't think he has done much with it.
The old "fast casual" chain Bennigan's is in the same situation. Several now unrelated "legacy" restaurants around from the former franchisees, and a new outfit trying to sell new centrally served outlets.
Is it the same situation with Staek'n'Ale? They had the same owner as Bennigan's.