Hardee's(R) Introduces New Red Burrito(TM) Taco Salad

    ST. LOUIS, Dec. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Famous for its line of high-quality,
 100 percent Angus beef Thickburgers(TM), Hardee's(R) today announced the
 introduction of a new entree salad good enough to join its menu, the Red
 Burrito(TM) Taco Salad.  Similar to Thickburgers, the quality of the hearty
 new entree salad is on par with those found in sit-down restaurants.
     (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051219/CGM034 )
     The Red Burrito Taco Salad features a fresh, crispy, bowl-shaped tortilla
 shell filled with seasoned ground beef, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses,
 shredded lettuce, refried beans, sour cream, hot sauce and spicy pico de gallo
 salsa.
     "This is a delicious entree salad that satisfied our ongoing goal of
 rivaling the quality of sit-down restaurant food," said Brad Haley, executive
 vice president of marketing for Hardee's.  "After testing several salad ideas
 at Hardee's, we found that our customers were looking for a hearty, warm
 entree salad with a lot of flavor, and the Red Burrito Taco Salad filled the
 bill. The new menu item is actually the same one we are currently testing in
 several Hardee's restaurants that have been co-branded with the entire Red
 Burrito menu. While we developed the Red Burrito menu as a potential
 co-branding concept for Hardee's and it is still in the testing phase, we
 thought the Red Burrito name helped add authenticity to the product and, at
 the same time, helped raise awareness for the Red Burrito brand, which would
 be beneficial if we were to expand the co-branding effort in the future."
     Participating Hardee's restaurants will offer the Red Burrito Taco Salad
 at a suggested retail price of $3.99.
     Last year, Carl's Jr.(R), Hardee's sister chain in the western U.S.,
 introduced a similar product, the Green Burrito(R) Taco Salad, and the
 innovative idea to offer an individual co-branded menu item recently earned
 that brand recognition for creating the "Best Cross-Promotion of 2005,"
 according to QSR magazine.
 
     Hardee's Food Systems, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CKE
 Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:   CKR) of Carpinteria, Calif.  As of the third fiscal
 quarter ended Nov. 7, 2005, CKE Restaurants, Inc., through its subsidiaries,
 had a total of 3,163 franchised or company-owned restaurants in 43 states and
 in 13 countries, including 1,042 Carl's Jr.(R) restaurants, 2,004 Hardee's
 restaurants and 101 La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill(R) restaurants.  For more
 information, or to find a Hardee's near you, go to http://www.ckr.com or
 http://www.hardees.com .
 
     Contact:  Jeff Mochal         Bob Rybarczyk
               Hardee's            Weber Shandwick
               (314) 259-6277      (314) 552-6731
               jmochal@ckr.com     brybarczyk@webershandwick.com
 
 

SOURCE  Hardee's