New Hardee's Opens Saturday in West Chicago

First 500 guests win free food for a year at Chicagoland's fifth Hardee's to open in six months

Hardee's:

What:			A new Hardee's® opens its doors 6 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, at 280 W. North Ave., West Chicago.
Who:			Franchisee Frontier Star, LLC, in partnership with Hardee's and Carl's Jr.® parent company CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc., celebrates the fifth of 35 new Hardee's restaurants scheduled to open in Chicagoland over the next seven years. Owned by siblings Jason, Carl and Margaret LeVecke, the grandchildren of CKE founders Carl and Margaret Karcher, Frontier Star kicked off its series of Chicagoland openings in July. Current Hardee's locations in the area include Bolingbrook, Midlothian, Elk Grove and Prospect Heights, with Waukegan opening later this month.
			Hardee's growth in Chicagoland with long-time franchisee Frontier Star marks one more example of the continuing rapid expansion for Hardee's and Carl's Jr. in the U.S. In the second half of 2013, CKE inked deals with several new developers to build Hardee's franchised restaurants in New York and New Jersey. In December, CKE announced Carl's Jr. expansion into the Pacific Northwest.
Burgers, Buns, Biscuits:
			The new restaurant will offer Hardee's innovative, premium-quality menu selections, including the highly praised Fresh Baked Buns, baked fresh in the restaurant every day; the guest-favorite Philly Cheesesteak Thickburger®, made with 100 percent Black Angus beef; and, Hardee's iconic Made From Scratch TM Biscuits.
			As with previous area openings, Frontier Star will offer each of the first 500 guests on opening day a coupon book featuring one free Hardee's menu item per week for 52 weeks. Chicago area burger fans can find their nearest Hardee's by downloading the Super Star Rewards app. Check in to redeem Hardee's products on the spot, save points for a high-value Hardee's reward, check out a full menu and use the store locator to find any Hardee's or Carl's Jr. in the U.S. Download the Super Star Rewards app from the iTunes store or Google Play.
When:			6 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014
Where:			280 W. North Ave., West Chicago, IL 60185
Contact:			Julie Price McLean, CKE Restaurants, 805-745-7587, [e-mail]

About CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.

CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. ("CKE") is a privately held company headquartered in Carpinteria, Calif. Through its subsidiaries, CKE owns and licenses Carl's Jr.^® and Hardee's^® quick-service restaurants. CKE operates Carl's Jr. and Hardee's as one brand under two names acknowledging the regional heritage of both banners. CKE has a total of 3,420 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 42 states and 30 foreign countries and U.S. territories. Known for its one-of-a-kind premium menu items such as 100 percent Black Angus Six Dollar Thickburgers®, Made from Scratch TM Biscuits, Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders TM and Fresh Baked Buns, as well as an award-winning marketing approach, the Carl's Jr./Hardee's brand continues to deliver substantial and consistent growth in the U.S. and overseas. Since the end of Fiscal Year 2011 and through Nov. 4, 2013, the company's most recently completed fiscal quarter, CKE's annual system-wide sales were up 15 percent and the number of franchised and company-operated restaurants increased 8 percent worldwide, driven by 2 percent domestic growth and 53 percent growth outside the U.S. The Carl's Jr./Hardee's system is now 74 percent franchised, with international restaurants representing 16 percent of the system. For more information about CKE, please visit www.ckr.com or its brand sites at www.carlsjr.com and www.hardees.com.

CKE Restaurants
Julie Price McLean, 805-745-7587
[e-mail]