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Carl's Jr., Hardee's named 'most improved' restaurant chains

May 1, 2013

Sister chains Carl's Jr. and Hardee's have both been recognized with 'most improved' honors from two consumer research firms.

Sandelman & Associates awarded Carl's Jr. its newly released Quick-Track Awards of Excellence as "Most Improved Burger Chain" for 2012. Also, competing against all chain restaurants, Technomic Inc. acknowledged Hardee's in its "Chains to Watch" report as the "Most Improved Chain" for 2012.

According to the Sandelman survey results released last month, Carl's Jr. improved on its overall "excellent" rating based on the last visit to the restaurant from 27 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 to 34 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

"This is quite an accomplishment for a traditional QSR burger chain such as Carl's Jr.," said Bob Sandelman, CEO of San Clemente, Calif.-based Sandelman & Associates Inc., "especially given the increasing competition from the 'better burger' segment that has emerged in the recent past and has grown rapidly in terms of penetration and popularity."

The award is based on 2012 results from Sandelman's syndicated research study of 10,000-plus QSR users; the study tracked key consumer behavioral and attitudinal measures for all major QSR chains in individual markets, from 2011 to 2012.

The win was based on a "statistically significant improvement in the overall rating of the last visit to Carl's Jr.," Sandelman said. Carl's Jr. was also rated as the top QSR burger chain in the previous year's study.

Technomic monitors the performance of more than 115 leading limited-service and full-service restaurant chains by measuring consumer experience and providing chain ratings based on 60-plus brand attributes. Its Consumer Brand Metrics Program, a continuous tracking study of more than 80,000 restaurant consumers, recently named Hardee's as the most improved brand in the field.

To determine which chains experienced the most significant improvement from 2011 to 2012, Technomic calculated an average score for each chain based on ratings for each attribute measured in the survey, including: food taste and quality, order efficiency, restaurant cleanliness, value and service-oriented measures. Hardee's improved by 4.6 percentage points from 72.4 percent in 2011 to 77 percent in 2012.

"Hardee's has done a great job in continuing to improve the overall positioning of its brand with consumers," said Darren Tristano, Technomic executive vice president. "Hardee's has continued to gain traction in its overall quality, execution and a number of other factors from a consumer's point of view."

Technomic also cited Hardee's menu introductions as a factor, including the 100 percent Black Angus Thickburger, Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders, turkey burgers and hand-scooped ice cream treats.

"These are both highly respected industry consumer research firms and two of the most valued awards we could possibly win," said Andy Puzder, CEO of parent company CKE Restaurants Holdings Inc. "It reflects the concerted efforts that our operations teams have made, ensuring that our guests always get the best tasting product, made with quality ingredients, served at the right temperature, and by a friendly staff in inviting locations."

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