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Hardee's to open 124 units in Ohio, Flordia

CKE Restaurants Holdings Inc's franchise development deal with Pavilion Restaurant Group will develop 124 Hardee's restaurants throughout Ohio and Florida over the next nine to 12 years.

April 18, 2016

CKE Restaurants Holdings Inc, parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurant chains, has signed a domestic franchise development deal with Pavilion Restaurant Group, an affiliate of Pavilion Development Company, according to a company press release. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based restaurant operating company is set to develop and open 124 Hardee's restaurants throughout Ohio and Florida over the next nine to 12 years.

The Pavilion deal is structured under one agreement with two development schedules. In Ohio, Pavilion will build 84 Hardee's restaurants in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Toledo, Youngstown, and Dayton. In Florida, the company will develop 40 Hardee's in Orlando, West Palm Beach and Fort Myers.

"With their unparalleled expertise in the built-to-suit space, along with their plans for creative land use design and tenant demand aggregation, we are confident that Pavilion will help to further solidify our Hardee's franchise footprint in these two key states," said Jim Sullivan, executive vice president of domestic development for Carl's Jr. and Hardee's. "We are excited to be able to expand franchises in Ohio and Florida and introduce more 'young, hungry guys' to our bigger, better burgers and other innovative menu items."

Pavilion will handle all aspects of this new development process from site selection to right-to-build research to leasing and construction for both Carl's Jr. and Hardee's. The Hardee's division will be led by Dick Campbell, a restaurant veteran who has held senior executive level positions at KFC and who was formerly the CEO of Bojangles'.

"We were attracted to the Hardee's brand for several reasons. The brand is owned and managed by a successful team, CKE Restaurants and Roark Capital, and offers cook-to-order premium quality food, including the only line of 100 percent Black Angus Thickburgers in the QSR space," Campbell said. "Hardee's also has a well-defined target market of males aged 18-34 – and those who desire to eat like an 18-34 year old 'young, hungry, guy'! The Hardee's brand also provides best-in-class customer service. When you combine these key elements with the brand's major growth potential, specifically in the agile markets of Ohio and Florida, you have an attractive and winning real estate development deal."