Hardee’s has announced its support of the Carolina Panthers’ quest for a Super Bowl title. Should the Panthers win the big game on Sunday, all Hardee’s restaurants in the Greater Charlotte Area will provide free 1/3-pound Thickburgers to patrons on Monday, February 2, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. EST.

The Panthers’ owner Jerry Richardson is a Carolina hometown hero, first as a NFL player, then as a successful businessman and the first Hardee’s franchisee. In 1961, Richardson started his business with $3,500 of his winnings from the 1959 Super Bowl championship and returned to his hometown of Spartanburg, NC, to open his first Hardee’s hamburger stand. Though Richardson is no longer affiliated with Hardee’s, over three decades he grew his business to approximately 600 Hardee’s restaurants and became the largest Hardee’s franchisee.