CARPINTERIA Calif. CKE Restaurants Inc. sold 59 Hardee’s restaurants to franchisees as part of its ongoing refranchising program, officials said Thursday.
Since the refranchising effort was announced last year, the company has sold 195 restaurants and signed agreements for 94 new franchise units in those markets.
In the more recent batch, 51 units were sold to Margaret LeVecke, Jason LeVecke and Carl LeVecke, the daughter and grandsons, respectively, of the late CKE founder Carl Karcher. The LeVeckes are partners in MJKL Enterprises Midwest LLC, which operates 58 Carl’s Jr. restaurants in Arizona. The recently purchased units are in the Champaign, Ill.; Paducah, Ky.; and Louisville, Ky., markets, where MJKL has also committed to open a minimum of 35 new Hardee’s locations over the next eight years.
Earlier this month, CKE also completed the sale of eight restaurants in the Little Rock, Ark., area to Saddle Peak LLC, which has committed to build at least five new Hardee’s locations in that market over the next four years.
CKE Restaurants operates or franchises 3,083 Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. restaurants in 42 states.
