In late December, Atlanta-based private equity firm, Roark Capital Group reported that an affiliate company has acquired a majority stake in the privately held CKE Inc.  With its headquarters in Carpinteria, California, CKE owns and licenses the Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s quick service brands.  The acquisition includes over 3400 franchised or company-owned restaurants in 42 states and 30 foreign countries and U.S. territories.  CKE’s CEO Andy Puzder noted that the management team will remain in place and the day-to-day operations will be unchanged. “We look forward to working with Roark and leveraging their deep knowledge in restaurant operations and franchising as we continue to grow the company,” he added. This is Roark’s 29^th multi-unit company and 17^th restaurant brand.  In July 2013, Roark has acquired the 65-unit Miller’s Ale House.

CATEGORY:   Quick Service

Chain Name:  Carl’s Jr

Company Name:  Carl’s Jr. Restaurants LLC/CKE Inc.

Street Address:   6307 Carpinteria Ave., Suite A, Carpinteria, California 93013

Tel:   877/799-7827 & 805/745-7500        Fax:

Email:                                                                    Website: www.carlsjr.com  & www.ckefranchise.com

Menu Specialty: Charbroiled burgers, hand-breaded chicken, charbroiled chicken, salads, fries, onion rings, fried zucchini, breakfast menu, desserts, beverages.

Introduced:  The first Carl’s Drive-In opened in the mid-1940s in Los Angeles by Carl N. Karcher and wife Margaret. In the 1950s, a smaller Carl’s Jr. quick service concept opened in Southern California.

No. of Locations:   Over 3400 Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s Restaurants in over 40 states and 30 countries and U.S. territories.

Areas of Operation:  Carl’s Jr. generally operates in the Western US.  Sister company, Hardee’s generally operates in the Midwestern and Eastern US.

Types of Location:  Freestanding, Pads,

BusinessType (corp., franchise, jv):   Franchise

Size Req’d:  Small Prototype- 2450 sq.ft., seating for 31 on 24,000 sq.ft. site.

Mid-Size Prototype – 2831 sq.ft. , seating for 56 on 24,000 sq. ft. site.

Large Prototype – 3212 sq.ft., seating for 90 on 30,000 sq.ft. site.

Special Requirements (patio, drive-thru, etc):  Drive-thrus, Additional area for playground, added seating,

Contact Name:  Andrew F. Puzder - CEO

Richard Buxton-Exec Vice President, Real Estate Development

John J. Dunion – Exec Vice President, Supply Chain Management

Theodore Abajian- Exec Vice President, CFO

Jeffrey P. Chasney- Exec Vice President, Strategic Planning, Chief Information Officer

Brad R. Haley – Chief Marketing Officer

Eric Williams – Exec Vice President , Carl’s Jr Operations

E. Michael Murphy- President, Chief Legal Officer

Ned Lyerly – Exec. Vice President, International Franchise Operations (314/259-6413 nlyerly@ckr.com)

Jim Sullivan – Sr. Vice President, Domestic Franchise Development (314/259-6206 jsullivan@ckr.com)

Michael D’Arezzo – Vice President, Franchise Sales (805/745-7842 mdarezzo@ckr.com)

Werner Glass- Vice President, International Franchise Development (305/812-0490 wglass@ckr.com)

Michael Woida- Sen Vice President, International (314/259-6343  mwoida@ckr.com)

REAL ESTATE REPRESENTATIVES:

FRANCHISE REPRESENTATIVES:

PARENT COMPANY: Roark Capital Group, 1180 Peachtree St. NE, Suite 2500, Atlanta, Georgia 30309 (Tel: 404/591-5200 Fax 404/591-5201)

Related Chains:  Hardee’s, Green Burrito, Red Burrito

Last Report:    Restaurant & QSR Expansion Report #109   Last Update:

NOTES, NAMES & NUMBERS: