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While other fast food chains bend to the wishes of weight watchers and more health-conscious consumers ... Hardees has totally gone in the other direction..

Their strategy?

Fill the niche left by their larger competitors by offering retro Monster Thickburgers and other calorie-laden fast food appealing to those who care more about taste, and less about their weight.

Add sexy commercials to the mix — that depict hot models chowing down on their offerings, and Hardee's may also have hit upon the ingredients necessary to attract another important key demographic — extraordinarly hungry teenage boys.

Hardee's history

Opened during the Golden Age of fast food in competition with fledgling McDonald's and Burger King, Wilber Hardee opened the first Hardee's restaurant in Greenville, North Carolina, in 1960.

Offering a simple menu of burgers, shakes, and fries, they opened their first franchise within the year. Soon Hardee's hit upon a winning formula combining the flavor of southern barbeque in their famous "charco-broiled" Big Twin and Husky burgers with unique tangy flavors added to their special sauces.

Hardee's was off and running into the 70's with their first international franchises opening in such far-flung locations as West Germany and Australia.

Nothing if not competitive, the company began adding Arbys-style roast beef sandwiches and southern fried chicken to its menu, to immediately answer other fast food outlets luring attention away from Hardee's.

However, from the 80's onward Hardee's began losing its way. In a series of buy-outs, an eventual merger with the Carl's Jr chain, and other distractions (including a change to their signature burger recipe and dropping "charco-broiled") the company only regained its footing with the introduction of the Monster Thickburger introduced in 2001.

As nutritionists gasped, and comedians poked fun at the 1,410 calorie double-bacon cheeseburger with mayonnaise (containing 107 grams of fat, and 2740 mg of sodium) the Monster Thickburger not only signaled Hardee's return to its roots, but the triumphant return of char-broiled fast food as a forbidden pleasure.

It was "not a burger for tree huggers" explained Hardee's CEO Andrew Puzder and, with that, the company launched a national campaign to attract a key demographic - teenage boys - with a series of advertisiing campaigns featuring hot babes, cars and hamburgers.

Today, Hardee's continues to 'go retro' with its 1/3 b, 1/2 lb and 2/3 lb burger offerings with much success and, along with its sibling restaurant chain Carl's Jr., remains the No. 4 U.S. fast-food restaurant burger chain after McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's.

Hardee's menu

Hamburgers:
1/2 lb Grilled Sourdough Thickburger, 1/2 lb Six Dollar Burger, 1/3 lb Bacon Cheese Thickburger, 1/3 lb Cheeseburger, 1/3 lb Low Carb Thickburger, 1/3 lb Mushroom 'N' Swiss Thickburger, 1/3 lb Thickburger, 1/4 lb Double Cheeseburger, 1/4 lb Double Hamburger, 2/3 lb Double Bacon Cheese Thickburger, 2/3 lb Double Thickburger, 2/3 lb Monster Thickburger, Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger - Kids Meal, Hamburger, Hamburger - Kids Meal

Sandwiches:
BBQ Chicken Sandwich, Big Chicken Fillet Sandwich, Big Hot Ham 'N' Cheese Sandwich, Big Roast Beef Sandwich, Charbroiled Chicken Club Sandwich, Hot Dog, Hot Ham 'N' Cheese Sandwich, Low Carb Charbroiled Chicken Club Sandwich, Regular Roast Beef Sandwich, Spicy Chicken Sandwich

Chicken:
2 Chicken Strips - Kids Meal, 3 Piece Chicken Strips, 5 Piece Chicken Strips, Fried Chicken Breast, Fried Chicken Leg, Fried Chicken Thigh, Fried Chicken Wing

Fries with that?
Cole slaw, Crispy Curls, Natural Cut french fries, mashed potatoes, side salads

Breakfast:
Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit, Big Country Breakfast Platter, Biscuits 'N' Gravy, Breaded Pork Chop Biscuit, Chicken Fillet Biscuit, Cinnamon 'N' Raisin Biscuit, Country Ham Biscuit, Country Steak Biscuit, Frisco Breakfast Sandwich, Ham, Egg & Cheese Biscuit, Hash Rounds, Loaded Biscuit 'N' Gravy Breakfast Bowl, Loaded Breakfast Burrito, Loaded Omelet Biscuit, Low Carb Breakfast Bowl, Monster Biscuit, Pancakes, Sausage Biscuit, Sausage and Egg Biscuit, Sunrise Croissant with Ham

Desserts:
Apple turnover, chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookie, hand-scooped malt, hand-scooped shake, peach cobbler, single scoop ice cream bowl, single scoop ice cream cone

Hardee's Locations :

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More about Hardee's around the Web:

Hardees.com - The official site with information on the latest promotions and printable coupons, company information, menu and nutrition information, restaurant locator, employment listings.

Hardee's - Wikipedia - A complete and detailed history including notable menu items and nutrition facts, related controversies, photos and resources.

Hardees - Mahalo - Brief overview of Hardee's history and fun facts including related images, videos, references and resources, and Twitter mentions.

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