Carl's Jr. touts value of new cheeseburgerCarl's Jr. touts value of new cheeseburger

Lisa Jennings

CARPINTERIA Calif. After a lull in the ongoing burger battle, Carl’s Jr. came out of its corner of the ring on Wednesday to throw another punch at McDonald’s with the introduction of a Six Dollar Cheeseburger.

Priced at $2.79, the new addition to the chain’s Six Dollar line is less expensive and nearly twice the size of McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese, according to Carl’s Jr. parent CKE Restaurants Inc.

The new burger is also being offered at the lowest price of any Six Dollar burger at Carl’s Jr. The Original Six Dollar Burger was introduced at $3.99 and remains at that price, and others in the menu category have topped $5 in recent years.

The new Six Dollar Cheeseburger includes almost a half-pound of charbroiled black angus beef, two slices of American cheese, onion, dill pickles, ketchup and mustard on a seeded bun — it’s essentially the Original Six Dollar Burger without the fresh produce, said Beth Mansfield, a CKE spokeswoman.

Though CKE has been determined not to participate in the deep-discounting demonstrated by McDonald’s and other competitors, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s have suffered in the weakened economic climate — particularly in hard hit Southern California, a core market for Carl’s Jr. For the third quarter ended Nov. 2, same-store sales fell 5.2 percent for Carl’s Jr. and 1.8 percent for Hardee’s.

CKE, however, has continued to emphasize its premium product line, while still offering value-priced items.

Andrew Puzder, CKE's chief executive, said the Six Dollar Cheeseburger is “the latest example of how Carl’s Jr. does value.”

Earlier this year, Carl’s Jr. debuted a new Big Carl burger and sister brand Hardee’s brought out the Big Hardee, which CKE said offer more meat and cheese than a McDonald’s Big Mac at a lower price.

The move was an attempt to counter McDonald's introduction of the Third Pounder line, premium burgers that CKE saw as a direct attack on the Six Dollar burger line at Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, first introduced eight years ago.

“Our customers have responded very positively to both the Big Carl and the Big Hardee,” Puzder said. “The direct comparison of our bigger charbroiled burgers to the smaller, yet pricier, McDonald’s burgers, which are fried on a flat grill, is an eye opener for a lot of people.”

Also on Wednesday, Carl’s Jr. launched a new Big Carl Combo Rewards Card promotion. With the purchase of any Big Carl Combo, which includes the burger, fries and a drink, guests will receive a Rewards Card valued at between $1 and $100, to be used for any food purchase on their next visit. The promotion will run through Jan. 5.

Based in Carpinteria, Calif., CKE operates, licenses and franchises 1,212 Carl’s Jr., and 1,915 Hardee’s locations in 42 states and 14 countries.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].