Hardee's: History, Key Facts and Reviews

1960-1969: Wilber Hardee’s charbroiled burgers in North Carolina

Hardee’s began as a drive-in serving charbroiled hamburgers in Greenville, North Carolina. Wilber Hardee opened it on September 3, 1960, selling 15-cent hamburgers, 10-cent fries and 20-cent milkshakes (Hardee’s). In May 1961, James Carson Gardner and Leonard Rawls opened the first company restaurant at 329 North Church Street in Rocky Mount. Company lore says they won control of the business from Hardee in a poker game, a story they disputed (Wikipedia). Hardee’s Food Systems went public in 1963, and by the end of the decade it had about 200 restaurants in the Midwest and Southeast, plus its first ones abroad, in West Germany.

1970-1996: biscuits, Burger Chef and Roy Rogers

Hardee’s grew into one of the largest US burger chains by buying rivals. It bought Sandy’s in 1972. In 1977, after a test by franchisee Boddie-Noell Enterprises in Virginia Beach, it rolled out breakfast and its Made from Scratch biscuits nationwide, still the brand’s signature. Canadian group Imasco took control in 1981 and bought Burger Chef from General Foods for $44 million in 1982, most of whose restaurants then became Hardee’s. The chain opened its 2,000th restaurant during the 1980s, and the purchase of Roy Rogers in the early 1990s brought fried chicken onto its menus.

1997-2015: CKE, the Carl’s Jr. star and the Thickburger

CKE Restaurants, the parent of Carl’s Jr., bought Hardee’s from Imasco in April 1997 for $327 million, creating a group of 3,828 restaurants in 40 states and 10 foreign countries. By 1999, Hardee’s had adopted the Carl’s Jr. star logo while keeping its name and breakfast menu. Its head office moved to St. Louis in 2001. In 2003 it launched the Thickburger, a line of thick Angus burgers, and on November 15, 2004, the Monster Thickburger, a 1,420-calorie double with bacon that made national headlines (NBC News). Our Monster Thickburger copycat recipe traces how it changed since.

2016-2026: Franklin, Tennessee, and a smaller US network

Hardee’s is now run from Franklin, Tennessee, CKE’s head office, and remains a separate brand from Carl’s Jr. with its own menu. Its US network is shrinking: 1,492 restaurants in 2025, including 201 company-run, with $2.03 billion in US sales (QSR 50). Abroad, most Hardee’s restaurants are in the Middle East and Pakistan, many run by the Americana Group. In October 2026, CKE named Alisa Gmelich president of Hardee’s (PR Newswire). For today’s menu, try our Big Cheeseburger copycat recipe.

Key dates

• 1960: Wilber Hardee opens the first Hardee’s in Greenville, North Carolina, on September 3.
• 1963: Hardee’s Food Systems goes public.
• 1977: breakfast and Made from Scratch biscuits roll out nationwide.
• 1982: Imasco buys Burger Chef for $44 million.
• 1997: CKE Restaurants buys Hardee’s for $327 million.
• 2004: the Monster Thickburger launches on November 15.
• 2025: 1,492 restaurants in the United States.
• 2026: Alisa Gmelich becomes president of Hardee’s.