Customers Give Generously to Support “Pink Star” Restaurant Donation Program

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Sept 21, 2009 – CKE Restaurants, Inc. today announced it has reached its goal of raising $1 million for breast cancer programs and awareness through its “Pink Star” fundraising campaign. During the three-week, in-store fundraiser that began in April, guests at Carl’s Jr.^® and Hardee’s^® restaurants across the United States donated to the campaign in support of the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF). 

For each $1 donation, restaurant guests received a commemorative pink Happy Star^® to personalize and place on a restaurant lobby display. This leave-behind piece combined the icon for both the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurant chains with the color pink to represent hope and awareness for the plight of those fighting breast cancer. Guests also received coupons to use toward future visits. SynqSolutions, Inc. of Atlanta donated the cost of all printed materials related to the Pink Star program.

The official check presentation ceremony will be held Mon., Sept 21 at 2:30 p.m. at Union Station in St. Louis, Mo. Executives from CKE Restaurants along with board members from both the Star Franchise Association (of Carl’s Jr.) and the Independent Hardee’s Franchise Association will present the $1 million check to Janelle Hail, CEO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The check from this year’s event will represent the single largest one-time gift given to the NBCF. The donation is slated to fund the NBCF’s National Mammography Program. This program currently impacts 43 states across the country by providing free mammograms to underserved women nationwide through medical facilities within the network.

“Despite our country’s economic situation, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s loyal customers gave generously in support of breast cancer awareness and the National Breast Cancer Foundation,” said Andrew F. Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:CKR), parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. “It is truly a testament to the generosity of our customers, the dedication of our employees and the commitment of our franchisees. We are very proud of all of our restaurants, both company and franchise, whose enthusiasm over the past five years made it possible to reach for and achieve our $1 million fundraising goal.”

The “Pink Star” program was initiated in 2005 by the Carl’s Jr. franchise body, the Star Franchise Association and raised $175,000. Within five years, the total amount raised is now over $3.1 million. This year’s tremendous donation was made possible by the efforts of more than 3,100 Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s franchise- and company-operated restaurants across the country.

 “CKE Restaurants, Inc. and their Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurant locations gave us their best effort this year and succeeded in reaching their $1 million goal,” said Janelle Hail, CEO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation. “Since the ‘Pink Star’ campaign began, CKE Restaurants has significantly contributed to NBCF's mission to save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer through education and by providing mammograms for those in need. Thank you so much to CKE, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s for their continued support.”

About National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. (NBCF)

The National Breast Cancer Foundation extends women’s lives through education about breast cancer and early detection. The organization provides hope to women and families affected by breast cancer through a community of caring support and encouragement that enables those diagnosed with breast cancer to have fulfilling lives during their treatment and afterward. Learn more at www.nbcf.com.

About CKE Restaurants, Inc.

Headquartered in Carpinteria, Calif., CKE Restaurants, Inc. is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CKR.” As of the end of its fiscal 2010 first quarter, CKE Restaurants, Inc., through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,133 franchised, licensed or company-operated restaurants in 42 states and in 14 countries, including 1,205 Carl’s Jr. restaurants and 1,915 Hardee’s restaurants. For more information about CKE Restaurants, please visit www.ckr.com.

By Nancy Luna, Staff Writer and Blogger

The Los Angeles ad agency behind the sexy Carl's Jr. ads are now focusing on reality TV-inspired commercials.

The latest Carl's Jr. and Hardee's ad features a super fake out of customers dining at a faux Los Angeles fine dining restaurant. Unbeknownst to diners: they are chowing on Six Dollar fast-food burgers from Carl's Jr. -- not "fancy" gourmet burgers.

I just watched the aptly named "Fake Restaurant" commercial -- and it is another elaborate undertaking by Mendelsohn Zien. The Los Angeles ad firm is the mastermind behind Carl's Jr.'s sexy, messy, drippy ads. (Think, the sultry and sudsy "That's Hot" Paris Hilton commercial or the controversial Flat Buns ad.)

For this ad, the agency, created a fake white table cloth restaurant in Malibu complete with chic decor, a stone fireplace, glass stemware and valet parking. The restaurant even had "phony" reviews on display.

The experiment: Could the Six Dollar Carl's Jr./Hardee's Angus burger pass for fine dining eats -- and prices? Menu prices ranged from $14 to $20 -- more than triple the price of a regular fast-food Angus burger sold at Carl's Jr. or Hardee's.

Using hidden cameras, the commercial captures a pair of diners walking into "Grade A Restaurant" in the Malibu hills.

One of the diners is an accomplice hired by FriedFish Productions, a Los Angeles film company that specializes in reality TV productions.Carl's Jr. new ad campaign promotes a new Prime Rib Six Dollar Burger, which debuts next month in SoCal.

The paid accomplice lures a friend, dubbed "the mark," to this new "boutique" burger restaurant. Menu choices are limited to a Prime Rib burger (at right) and four varieties of gourmet Angus burgers, the server tells the diners.

In every case, the unsuspecting "mark" gives the burgers rave reviews.

The expression -- "reality is better than fiction" -- plays out well in this campaign. Carl's Jr. could not have asked for better, scripted reactions from the faked-out diners:

"Do you see this burger dude? It's colossal," one man says.

"This is a tasty burger," says another.

"It's like an orgasm," one diner says after eating a $14 Prime Rib Six Dollar burger. (That burger, by the way, is the reason for the new ad campaign. Hardee's is now serving the prime rib burger, while Carl's Jr. restaurants will get it next month.)

Beth Mansfield, a Carl's Jr. spokeswoman, said the diners were "absolutely" in the dark until the end of the meal when they paid the check. Once they were told they were part of reality TV commercial, the customers signed deals with the fast-food chain to have their mugs used for the ad. (The "real people" featured in the commercial are shown in the above photo.)

Let's hope the ad campaign works: CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, spent $1.5 million making the commercial. To boot, the chain will spend $20 million airing the ad nationally for the next 12 months.

So, does this reality TV show campaign mean Carl's Jr. is scrapping its edgy/sexy ads?

"We didn't say that," Mansfield chuckles.

To view the commercial, go to fakerestaurant.com or click on the above photo.

http://fastfood.freedomblogging.com/2008/05/20/no-more-sultry-ads-carls-jr-turns-to-reality-tv-for-new-campaign/