The newly opened Hardee's in the Rockford, Ill., area set a company sales record in its opening week in Loves Park, topping the previous Hardee's domestic sales mark at a Sioux Falls, S.D., restaurant in October 2010.
"We knew the people of Loves Park missed Hardee's and were excited for the new opening but this surpassed our expectations," said Andrew F. Puzder, CEO of parent company CKE Restaurants Inc. "Obviously, as our results in the Rockford area show, the people of northern Illinois love our big, delicious burgers and Made From Scratch Biscuits. It was an amazing welcome back from the community and we are very grateful for their support."
The new restaurant remodeled a building that used to be a Hardee's but had been closed by previous franchise owners in 1999.
"After meeting with people in the community, we knew they had been enthusiastic about the brand so we knew it was the right time to bring Hardee's back to Rockford," said Jeff Reddig, partner at franchise operator Star Restaurants.
The Loves Park Hardee's opened for business May 2. It is the 11th Hardee's franchise operated by Quad Cities-based Star Restaurants and employs 70 full- and part-time workers. There are now 75 Hardee's units in Illinois employing about 2,000 people.
"I'm proud of our franchise groups and their commitment to growing the Hardee's brand," added Puzder. "I'm especially proud of Jeff Reddig and Jerry Maniccia with Star Restaurants, George Collins and Bobbie Dischler with Hardee's and the Loves Park restaurant crew. They did a great job delivering the premium-quality food and great customer service for which we're famous."
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