CARPINTERIA Calif. In a case of tasty unintended consequences, CKE Restaurants Inc. said it would extend its combined comfort food creations to Hardee’s with the introduction of the Grilled Cheese Bacon Thickburger, the complement of the Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger launched late last month at sister chain Carl’s Jr.
Brad Haley, CKE’s executive vice president of marketing, said the Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger at Carl's Jr. was the result of plans to introduce a grilled cheese for vegetarian customers. Now that a similar meaty sandwich has been added to Hardee's menu, the company will follow up with a comprehensive marketing campaign for both chains.
A“Comfort Place” application for both brands’ Facebook pages will let the chains’ fans provide relief and solace to their friends in the form of comforting messages with CKE’s brand of irreverent humor. The comfort themes would come through in the form of cheesy songs like “Love Sandwich,” motivational messages and pep talks, audio sound bites like sizzling bacon, soothing photos of kittens, and humorous videos.
CKE also announced the launch of a five-week sweepstakes to take place on each brand’s Facebook page for a Comfort Package grand prize. Each chain’s Facebook page will award one Comfort Package per week through March 26. The prize packs include a Happy Star-branded Slanket, comfortable slippers, a universal remote control, a gift card to either Carl’s Jr. or Hardee’s, and a shiatsu electronic massager.
“The Comfort Place Facebook application and sweepstakes are another way we are reaching out to our customers online,” said Brad Rosenberg, CKE’s manager of digital strategy and marketing. “We don’t want to just broadcast messages. We aim to interact, provide fun, sharable content, and offer our fans exclusive deals and sweepstakes that they won’t find anywhere else.”
TV commercials for the grilled-cheese bacon burgers will debut March 1. CKE’s agency of record, Mendelsohn|Zien, handled the creative.
Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. aren’t the only restaurants to experiment with bacon and premium meats on grilled cheese during the latest comfort-food craze. The Grand Lux Cafe, a subsidiary of The Cheesecake Factory Inc., has a Short Rib Grilled Cheese Sandwich, as does upscale independent restaurant Markethouse in Chicago. Markethouse’s Guinness Stout Cheddar sandwich, which combines barbecue-braised short rib and stout cheddar cheese, is part of its 30 Minute Executive Lunch menu.
Also, in Los Angeles, chef Eric Greenspan will soon open Greenspan Grilled Cheese in the space next to his restaurant Foundry on Melrose. The restaurant will have upscale variants of the popular sandwich for between $10 and $15.
Like Carl's Jr.'s Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger, Hardee's Grilled Cheese Bacon Thickburger features a beef patty, bacon and four slices of melted American and Swiss cheeses on grilled sourdough bread. It's available as a Little Thickburger, an Original Thickburger or a Six Dollar Thickburger, with prices starting at $2.79.
Carpinteria-based CKE has a total of 3,147 restaurants in 42 states and 14 countries, including 1,221 Carl’s Jr. units and 1,913 Hardee’s restaurants.
Contact Mark Brandau at [email protected].
