Carl Karcher started Carl’s Jr. after he had owned many food stands in Los Angeles, California and even a stand-alone restaurant in Anaheim, California.  He started Carl’s Jr. in 1956 with two restaurants in Anaheim and Brea.  These were named Carl’s Jr. because they were a smaller, but similar version of his other drive-in called Carl’s Drive-in Barbecue.  Carl’s Jr. was and still is characterized by the bright yellow happy star logo they use.  The other chain that Carl’s Jr. owns is Hardee’s and they share the same logo.  The company became publically held in 1981 after they had opened 300 restaurants and in 1988 Carl and his family were accused by the Securities and Exchange Commission of insider trading because they sold a large amount of their stock right before the price of it dropped.  Carl agreed to a settlement and paid more than half a million dollars in fines.  The company it a few other bumps along the way, but currently has over 1,000 locations in 13 states as well as Mexico, Singapore and Russia.

They feature the Double Western Bacon Cheese Burger and the Six Dollar Burger.  The Six Dollar Burger gets its name because it claimed to be the same quality as a burger that one would get at a sit-down restaurant for six dollars.  They introduced the Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger in May of 2005 and they promoted this burger with a controversial commercial featuring Paris Hilton.  Carl’s Jr. also features many chicken sandwiches and many other burgers on their menu along with sides, desserts, and beverages.

To become a restaurant franchise owner with Carl’s Jr. one must have a minimum of $300,000 in liquid assets and at least a net worth of $1,000,000.  The franchisee must undergo a 12 week training program and also must commit to a 20 year franchise agreement.  They prefer individuals or groups that have previous restaurant experience and have operated a franchise before, but it is not necessarily required.  One must also commit to opening a minimum of 3 stores and must pay up to $25,000 in franchise fees along with a 4% royalty fee of the gross sales.