| CKE taunts McDonald's with Big Hardee
By Lisa
Jennings
 | | Hardee's new Big Hardee burger |
CARPINTERIA, Calif.
(Sept.
14,
2009)
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.
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