#HackTheMenu - Carl's Jr. General Information

Carl's Jr. is one of the top grossing and most popular fast food restaurants in the United States. It's hard to imagine that it was all started when Carl Karcher and his wife, Margaret, borrowed $311, along with $15 of their own savings. They used this money to buy a hot dog cart where they served up hot dogs, chili dogs, and tamales on the corner of Central and Florence in Los Angeles, California.

Although they may have started out as a tiny food cart, they were able to grow into a massive chain that commands a large portion of the fast food industry. This hot dog cart was the start of something big, and even though they no longer sell hot dogs, they continue to push the envelope of what a fast food restaurant can and should do.

Carl's Jr. was the first to have customers pay for their orders when they were placed. They were the first quick service restaurant to offer salad bars in all their locations. Another first was the introduction of debit card payment systems, allowing customers to pay with their ATM cards in the restaurant in the 1980s. In 2011, they became the first national fast food chain to offer turkey burgers. They also were the first national fast food chain to offer an all-natural beef patty in 2014 and an all-natural turkey burger in 2015.

So, check out what Carl's Jr. has to offer, their regular menu and secret menu won't disappoint. And check out their menu prices if you have the time.

It all started in 1941 when Carl and Margaret Karcher borrowed $311 on their Plymouth car and added $15 in savings to purchase a hot dog cart in Los Angeles. In 1945, they were able to open up their first full-service restaurant in the neighboring Anaheim, California. It was called Carl's Drive-In Barbeque and they shortly added hamburgers to the menu. In 1956, Karcher was able to open up two restaurants that were smaller versions of the original. He named these new style of smaller restaurants Carl's Jr.

Carl's Jr. has a unique backstory to its location situation. Since CKE Restaurants was formed by Carl Karcher, it owns Carl's Jr. and the Green Burrito. And in 1997, they acquired Hardee's which is a large restaurant chain in the South, East and Midwest of the United States. Today, there are over 1, 300 Carl's Jr. restaurants in the Western region of the US, with an additional 2,500+ Hardee's restaurants on the other part of the states.

Carl's Jr. started out with hot dogs, chili dogs and tamales. Today they have grown to produce some of the most interesting and unique burgers and sandwiches in the fast food sector. This includes the Famous Star, Super Star, Western Bacon Cheeseburger, Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger, Teriyaki Burger, The Big Carl, the Six Dollar Thickburger, Guacamole Bacon Thickburger, Super Bacon Thickburger and many more. All sandwiches can come with the Turkey Burger subbed in its place. They also have a cod fish sandwich, Santa Fe chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, criss cut fries, onion rings, fried zucchini, hand scooped milkshakes, salads, jalapeno poppers and much much more.