On September 3, 1960, successful restaurant visionary and entrepreneur, Wilber Hardee, opened his first namesake restaurant, a drive-in, in Greenville, North Carolina. The very first Hardee's® had no tables, no waiters and only a few items on the menu. But, the drive-thru restaurant was an immediate success. The main attraction was a 15-cent fresh-ground, lean beef burger that was made to order on a custom-built charcoal broiler.

The successful business model attracted interested partners. Jim Gardner and Leonard Rawls soon formed a partnership with Hardee and opened a second restaurant in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on May 5, 1961. The company started franchising in 1962 and was the first quick-service restaurant (QSR) to offer stock to the public, in 1963. In 1997, Hardee's was acquired by CKE Restaurants, Inc., parent company to Carl's Jr. on the West Coast. Today, Hardee's has over 1,900 locations across the Midwest and Southeast, as well as more than 200 international locations, mainly in the Middle East.

In 2005, Hardee's began a dual-branding program and opened the first Hardee's/Red Burrito® in Belleville, Illinois. There are now over 100 dual-branded Hardee's/ Red Burrito restaurants that offer guests both the traditional American fare they've come to know and love from Hardee's, but also big fresh burritos and other authentic Mexican-style favorites from the Red Burrito menu.

Hardee's has built its reputation on a unique breakfast menu featuring mouth-watering Made from Scratch Biscuits™ and breakfast bowls. With a renewed emphasis on premium quality, the company took the lunch/dinner segment to the next level with the introduction of its line of 100% Black Angus Beef Thickburgers® in 2002. Today, Hardee's has clearly established itself as a leader in the QSR industry.

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