CKE Restaurants’ brands here are all burger franchises. Each is franchised on its own terms, under its own agreement, so the cost to open, the fees and the record of each brand differ, even where the parent company is the same.
Brands owned by CKE Restaurants
| Brand | Cost to open | Franchise fee | Royalty | Locations | 3-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardee'sBurger | $1.39M–$2.64M | $25,000 | 4% | 1,485 | −222 (−13%) |
| Carl's Jr.Burger | $1.82M–$3.3M | $25,000 | 4% of gross sales | 992 | −77 (−7%) |
Change is in US locations, franchised and company-owned, over the three latest years in each brand’s filing. A dash means the brand’s counts aren’t usable.
Size and growth
Together these brands have 2,477 US locations, 90% of them run by franchisees. Across the brands, the total fell by 299 locations (−11%), from 2024 to 2026.
Shrank the most
- Hardee's−13%
- Carl's Jr.−7%
Brands that started the three years with at least 10 locations.
Fees and royalties across the brands
Every CKE Restaurants brand here charges the same $25K franchise fee. The royalty is 4% of sales at every brand. On top of that, the marketing fund ranges from 4.3% to 6% of sales.
A shared parent can mean shared suppliers, systems and support staff, but it rarely means shared terms: compare the agreements brand by brand, and ask whether owning one brand gets you anything when you buy another.
Sales per location and who runs it
Of these brands, 2 publish yearly sales per location, from $1.35M at Hardee's to $1.39M at Carl's Jr.. None requires the owner to run it day to day; a trained manager can.
| Brand | Sales per location | Marketing fund | Who runs it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardee's | $1.35M a year | 4.3% of sales | Owner needn't take part |
| Carl's Jr. | $1.39M a year | 6% of sales | A trained manager can run it |