CKE taunts McDonald's with Big HardeeCKE taunts McDonald's with Big Hardee

Lisa Jennings

CARPINTERIA Calif. CKE Restaurants Inc. continued what it called “McSmack” talk with the introduction Monday of the Big Hardee burger, which it says offers more meat, more cheese and a lower price than McDonald’s iconic Big Mac.

The Big Hardee introduction at Hardee's follows the debut in August of the Big Carl burger by sister brand Carl’s Jr., which has twice the meat and cheese of a Big Mac and is priced roughly 50 cents less.

Parent company CKE Restaurants Inc. said McDonald’s started the fracas when it rolled out its Angus Third Pounder, which CKE officials describe as an attempt to copy the sit-down-restaurant-style burgers pioneered by Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s eight years ago.

The taunts will continue on Tuesday, when CKE is planning an event at a Los Angeles Carl’s Jr. unit — situated next door to a McDonald’s — when customers of the Golden Arches will be invited to exchange their Angus Third Pounders or Big Macs for a Carl’s Jr. burger.

The event will be hosted by comedian J.B. Smoove, along with Carl’s Jr. mascot Happy Star, who will attempt to inspire Angelenos to “stand up against the oppression of McDonald’s and their over-priced, under-whelming products, and encourage people to come over to Carl’s Jr and experience a bigger, better 100 percent Black Angus beef burger.”

Both Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. also will launch new ad campaigns titled “Nothing,” which the company described as “non-response ads in response” to McDonald’s Angus Third Pounders.

In the ad, a CKE executive is speaking to chief executive Andrew Puzder about McDonald’s Angus Third Pounder as a direct attack on Carl’s Jr.’s premium Six Dollar burger line, though he describes the McDonald’s burger as smaller, not 100-percent Black Angus and more expensive.

“What shall we do?” the executive asks.

Puzder’s response: “Nothing.”

“How about a commercial?” asks the executive.

Puzder turns to the camera and says, “No.”

In a statement about the campaign, Puzder said, “We knew people would be drawn to the Big Carl. It’s a bigger, better burger at a significantly lower price. But what we didn’t expect was the very positive reaction we’ve received for the directly comparative advertising campaign we developed to promote it. Many people have voiced their support for us having the guts to get into the ring with an 800-pound gorilla.”

Commercials supporting the Big Hardee will begin airing in that chain’s markets on Wednesday. The Big Hardee is available for the recommended price of $2.29, about 70 cents less than the average price of a Big Mac.

CKE is scheduled to release its second-quarter earnings report on Wednesday. Preliminary results indicated a 6.1-percent drop in same-store sale for Carl’s Jr. and a 2.7-percent decline for Hardee’s.

For its June 30-ended second quarter, McDonald's reported a global same-store sales increase of 4.8 percent, including a 3.5-percent jump in the United States.

Based in Carpinteria, Calif., CKE operates or franchises 1,205 Carl’s Jr. locations and 1,915 Hardee’s.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].