Carl’s Jr. is a well-known American fast-food franchise that was founded in 1941 by Carl Karcher and his wife, Margaret, in Los Angeles, California. What began as a humble hot dog cart quickly expanded into a thriving business.
By 1945, the Karchers had opened their first full-service restaurant, and the brand continued to grow, eventually focusing on what would become the Carl’s Jr. brand, recognized today as a pioneer in the quick-service restaurant industry.
Headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, Carl’s Jr. started franchising in 1984. The franchise is particularly famous for its premium-quality, charbroiled burgers, including signature items like the Western Bacon Cheeseburger® and the Beyond Famous Star with Cheese®.
In addition to its iconic burgers, Carl’s Jr. also offers a variety of other menu items, such as Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders and Made From Scratch™ Biscuits, appealing to a broad customer base.
Here's what you would need to invest if you were to start this franchise. These costs are provided by the franchisor in the Franchise Disclosure Document.
Carl’s Jr. provides comprehensive training for its franchisees, designed to ensure that each location operates successfully and maintains the brand’s high standards. The training program includes several key components:
Carl’s Jr. franchise offers territory protection to its franchisees, ensuring that they have a defined area where they can operate without direct competition from other Carl’s Jr. franchises.
This protection is typically outlined in a multi-unit development agreement, which specifies the geographic area, the number of units to be developed, and the timeline for opening those units.
The franchise assesses an area’s potential based on factors like population, demographics, and competition to determine the viability of granting such protection. This territorial exclusivity helps franchisees by reducing the risk of market saturation within their designated area, allowing them to build and grow their business with a level of security.
KEY FRANCHISE STATS
All you need to know about this franchise
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Below are some of
Carl’s Jr.
key competitors in the
Burger
sector.
1020
$25,000
$1,303,000
$3,436,000
n.a.
$1,568,000
$xxx,xxx
74.5%
n.a.
21.2%
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