The All-Natural Burger, which launched at Carl’s Jr. restaurants in December 2014 featuring the first grass-fed, free-range beef with no added hormones, antibiotics, or steroids from a major fast food company, is now available at sister-chain Hardee’s restaurants. Coinciding with the All-Natural Burger introduction at Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr. also rolls out its first All-Natural Burger line extension with the launch of the Mushroom & Swiss All-Natural Burger.
The Hardee’s All-Natural Burger will feature a charbroiled, all-natural beef patty topped with a slice of natural cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and dill pickles, all served on the brand’s signature Fresh Baked Buns.
“Carl’s Jr. had great success with the industry-first, All-Natural Burger that launched late last year,” says Brad Haley, chief marketing officer of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. “It seemed to bring in or, perhaps more accurately, bring back consumers who had given up fast food because they simply couldn’t get food like this there so, obviously, we wanted to introduce the All-Natural Burger at our sister-chain, Hardee’s, as soon as we could. However, there simply wasn’t enough grass-fed, all-natural beef available to supply both of our restaurant chains until now. And yes, given its tremendous popularity, the ‘Au Naturel’ ad campaign starring the pop culture phenomenon Charlotte McKinney will be coming back. Not to be outdone, the ad campaign for Carl’s Jr. new Mushroom & Swiss All-Natural Burger will reveal a hot new way to go ‘au naturel’,” Haley adds.
The launch of the Hardee’s All-Natural Burger coincides with Carl’s Jr. unveiling of its first All-Natural Burger line extension with the introduction of the Mushroom & Swiss All-Natural Burger. Featuring natural, handpicked sautéed mushrooms, natural Swiss cheese, the same charbroiled all-natural beef patty as the original, vine-ripened tomatoes, mayonnaise, lettuce, and red onion on a Fresh Baked Bun, the new menu offering will be supported with a provocative ad campaign titled “Natural Beauties.” Created by advertising agency 72andSunny, the TV spot will debut on July 27, featuring the newest Carl’s Jr. advertising star.
“Mushrooms truly are ‘natural beauties,’ providing important nutrients, including B vitamins, vitamin D, selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, and more,” says Bart Minor, president and CEO for the Mushroom Council. “Our own research has found that Millennials, as well as Gen Z and Gen Y customers, love mushrooms because of their natural, meaty flavor and are looking for menu items that incorporate better-for-you ingredients that taste great—especially in this segment. Mushrooms are the perfect pairing and the 'natural' choice for this all-natural burger,” Minor adds.
