Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s Have Own Freakouts

Brand Week:

Snarky restaurant critics have said for years that restaurateurs can put waffles on a massive white plate, flanked by decorative glazes and a dab of sauce, and fetch $29. Now, a new TV campaign by CKE Restaurants for its for Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. chains seeks to underscore that point, or at least prove that the chains’ burgers are as good as an expensive restaurant’s.

New TV spots from Medelsohn/Zien, Los Angeles, use a hidden camera at a fake high-end eatery, dubbed ‘Grade A Restaurant,’ where white coated chefs serve Hardee’s Prime Rib Thickburgers and Carl’s Jr. Six Dollar Burgers to unsuspecting consumers.

The dupes get wise when they notice Hardee’s bags, called out by the emblazoned yellow star logo, being hauled in and out of the kitchen. In the big reveal, they’re informed that they’ve been eating the fast feeder’s fare all along. In one spot, a woman extols the ‘gross’ qualities of Hardee’s previous advertisements, only to realize in the end that she’s part of a spot for the very same restaurant whose creative she finds, well, unappetizing.

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