News

Carl's Jr., Hardee's spice up the classic burger

February 22, 2012

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's have launched the Southwest Patty Melt, which features a twist on the classic American hamburger. The new offering includes a charbroiled beef patty, sliced jalapeños, grilled onions, pepper Jack cheese, and spicy Santa Fe sauce, all served on grilled sourdough bread.

"The Southwest Patty Melt is our modern update of a classic American burger from the '50s and '60s," said Brad Haley, chief marketing officer for Carl's Jr. and Hardee's. "We took the best aspects of an original patty melt and spiced them up with jalapeños, pepper Jack cheese and our own Santa Fe sauce, which has a pretty good kick of its own."

The new item is sold as a single, double or Six Dollar Burger, which includes almost a half pound of charbroiled 100-percent Black Angus beef. A Sante Fe Turkey Burger, with pepper Jack cheese, green chili, lettuce, tomato and Santa Fe sauce, is also available.

To support the launch, supermodel Kate Upton – who is the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue's cover girl – will be featured in the brands' new commercial, which debuts this week.

The retro-inspired ad, directed by Chris Applebaum, features Upton in a classic 1950s setting, a drive-in movie theater, watching a film in a 1950s-era car and vintage-inspired clothing. Created by Los Angeles- and Amsterdam-based 72andSunny, CKE Restaurants' new creative agency, the commercial features a contemporized version of the 1959 hit song "Some Like It Hot."

"Kate Upton truly is one of the most beautiful women in the world, yet she has a great, all-American look, so she was a natural fit for our advertising campaign about a spiced-up version of a classic American burger," Haley said. "As you'll see, both Kate and the Southwest Patty Melt deliver the heat in the ads."

Read more about food and beverage launches.