Hardee's??

Just got back from the east coast and to my total shock, had a decent burger at Hardee's of all places. Thought they'd stopped making good burgers years ago. Has anyone else had a Thickburger???

I have had such a bad impression of Hardees for so many years, it is hard for me to go back into one and eat. My brother-in-law said those burgers were good, but I have not yet drummed up the courage to return. Maybe one day !!!

I was hoping that Hardee's could finally do something besides a bisquit. I did their thickburger and in my opinion, they still do not have it right. It tasted like they a preprepared and finalized at the location. The burger looks grey and taste like yesterdays wind.

You cannot quick cook a burger and make it taste like a burger.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

There are no longer any Hardee's in the Chicago area.

A few years back (98 or 99) Carl's Jr. the West Coast Chain bought out Hardee's. The lead burger became the Famous Star...etc, Carl's was/is a slight bit above the BK-MickyDee line, both in taste and price. That has carried over to the Hardee's stands now. I have noticed that most Hardee's in the Midwest have dropped the 'Broasted Chicken' from the menu and replaced it with the Chicken filet sandwiches that seem to be in vogue now.
Haven't tried the thick burger...single , double, andTRIPLE MEAT available in this sandwich...Anyone want to comment on the Triple???????

I picked up burgers and the usual accessories at the Hardee's on Rt. 66 in Tucumcari the last time my wife and I passed through there. They were actually not too bad, although they never were my favorite. I think food on the road always tastes better somehow, especially breakfast.
We used to have Carl's Jrs. in Dallas but they didn't last very long. I thought it was pretty good.

Not that I ever go there anymore, except once in a blue moon for a breakfast biscuit, I haven't had a decent burger from this abode since 1973, when they still had their original grilling method. Does anyone else remember back that far?

quote:

Originally posted by Adjudicator

Not that I ever go there anymore, except once in a blue moon for a breakfast biscuit, I haven't had a decent burger from this abode since 1973, when they still had their original grilling method. Does anyone else remember back that far?

The "ONLY" thing this chain has decent is a bisquit. Hardees/Carls could mess up an exotic dream

Paul e. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

quote:

Originally posted by Adjudicator

Not that I ever go there anymore, except once in a blue moon for a breakfast biscuit, I haven't had a decent burger from this abode since 1973, when they still had their original grilling method. Does anyone else remember back that far?

The "ONLY" thing this chain has decent is a bisquit. Hardees/Carls could mess up an exotic dream

Paul e. Smith

OOPS! Gotcha! I said/implied "HAD", not "HAS".
Knoxville, TN

Hardees was the first major fast-food chain I stopped eating at, but not for health/taste/political reasons; I worked for one my first summer in college (1984) and it was the absolute worst experience in my life. To this day, I grimace whenever I pass by...I'm sure others have similar stories. Can't imagine their food is actually worth noticing, anyway.

I use to enjoy the origianl Hardee's because the hamburgs were charcoaled on a grill. Today's version is definitely not as tasty as the "good olde days". Truly a shame

Hardee's is actually very big here in SC. They've apparently realized that there burgers were awful. On radio ads that air every single day, Hardee's informs the listener that they are dedicated to reinventing themselves. They've eliminated a lot of things off their menu in an effort to focus on burgers. It remains to be seen if this move will be successful. Me, I prefer getting my burgers in places where the smell of grease, rather than chemically altered non-food, hangs heavy in the air.

Hardees had a good thing going here in Cincinnati, imho, before the Carl's jr deal .

Right after that, the food quality started to go down, and the prices went up, and the employees stopped caring and.....well, they're all closed now. NO Hardee's in all of Cincinnati.

And yes...they absolutely had the very, very best breakfast biscuit of any chain.

I actually ate at a Hardee's a few days ago, NOT by my choice, I might add. The people that I was with got Thickburgers and curly fries, both of which looked nasty to me. Although they say that they cook to order, those Thickburgers sure looked reheated. I wasn't really too hungry, but I couldn't resist buying their smallest available burger. I can't remember their proprietary name, but basically it was a slider, like White Castle. I got one with cheese, and it came with chopped fresh onions on top. Not bad at all, for a little tiny burger.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Hardees had a good thing going here in Cincinnati, imho, before the Carl's jr deal .

Right after that, the food quality started to go down, and the prices went up, and the employees stopped caring and.....well, they're all closed now. NO Hardee's in all of Cincinnati.

And yes...they absolutely had the very, very best breakfast biscuit of any chain.

TJ, you're taking me down memory lane. We lived in Mt. Washington from our wedding in 1985 until we moved to the Eastgate area in 1997. Hardee's was, for part of that time, the only "fast food" place in the area, except for the Gold Star Chili commissary (which I don't care for).... Service, cleanliness, food were all LOUSY.

Nobody went there if they could avoid it. But the place stayed open. Even on the morning of a big surprise October snowstorm that knocked out power for hours, they couldn't keep coffee brewed!

The place burned down in 1989 or so, and we were thrilled; maybe we'd get something good. But they rebuilt! And the service, cleanliness, food all lived down to the original's standards.

Later, in the early 1992, a Wendy's opened across the street. It was a Godsend for the folks in our neighborhood. But still Hardee's stayed open--despite the fact that no matter when you passed the restaurant it was empty; nobody there but the employees.

We still have a few Hardee's, most have them have been closed and changed to Zaxby's chicken(another wing joint), my daughter likes the thickburgers, I like the pork chop biscuit, and the biscut and gravy isn't too bad either. Ours is just so sloooooooooooooooooooooooow. Which is ridiculous because where I actually live(right outside of Gainesville)is a one light town. I just don't think working there is very motivational.

quote:

Originally posted by jmckee

TJ, you're taking me down memory lane. We lived in Mt. Washington from our wedding in 1985 until we moved to the Eastgate area in 1997.

January 1997 is when I bought a house in the Deliquia subdivision, so came in when you left....

Eastgate, huh?

You got to tell me, and yeah, it's off topic -- what happened to the Deaf Goat? I know it's closed, but why?

Also, is the Rhino Grill any good?

Also, is Gramma's Pizza any good?

Finally, gotta say that although it is rarely clean, I still like Cincinnati's lone remaining Roy Rogers right there next to Frisch's.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

quote:

Originally posted by jmckee

TJ, you're taking me down memory lane. We lived in Mt. Washington from our wedding in 1985 until we moved to the Eastgate area in 1997.

January 1997 is when I bought a house in the Deliquia subdivision, so came in when you left....

Eastgate, huh?

You got to tell me, and yeah, it's off topic -- what happened to the Deaf Goat? I know it's closed, but why?

Also, is the Rhino Grill any good?

Also, is Gramma's Pizza any good?

Finally, gotta say that although it is rarely clean, I still like Cincinnati's lone remaining Roy Rogers right there next to Frisch's.

Deaf Goat had a pretty good reputation, from what I've heard. One of my colleagues in the parish religious education program where I volunteer is a waitress, and she worked there for a while. She said the food was fabulous; the owner's wife was there at 7 in the morning making everything from scratch, including salad dressings. The place just didn't make it. Didn't advertise enough. Didn't attract enough attention. I'd pencilled in a visit, but it closed. Just another in the appalling list of restaurants that don't make it. Makes you wonder why anybody would try....

Don't know about Rhino's. Looks interesting, but it's a billiards place and I've got a ten-year-old and there aren't many places where those two ideals are comfortable together....I'm cautious.

Haven't had Gramma's Pizza for quite a few years. My wife's grandfather, rest his soul, started bringing it home for Sunday NFL gatherings at his house. What I remember is: Fresh, hot, a little greasy, good balance, nice crust. One is near me on Old SR 74. I should really give it a try. You'd like to think that if an independent place can stay in business for that long, in Buddy LaRosa's back yard, they must have a good product.

I've not tried the Roy's on 32....used to eat at the one downtown at 4th and Race.....

Hardee's has greatly improved, IMO, since being taken over by Carl's Jr. The Thickburgers are much better than anything else they used to have. They have gone from being my absolute least favorite hamburger chain to one of my favorites.

I have never eaten there before, and I never will by all of your comments. :D

There are no longer any of these (except for just one, in Berkley) in the Detroit area. They all closed in 1996/97 to make way for a donut shop/restaurant chain called TIM HORTONS to replace them all in their perspective locations. Tim Hortons serves FRESH lunches like soups, sandwiches, bagels, chili, and donuts and the best coffee around (according to Canada).

muzzlehatch, sorry to hear about your experience.

jmckee, you seemed to have interesting times at your neighborhood, haha with that place burning, re-opening, and now a Wendy's as a godsend. It's almost comical!

Jaybird,
We saw Hardee's in the Ann Arbor to the Airport (DTW) to Brighton, Howell and Lansing 4 weeks ago. They looked quite busy.
Horton's is good, but like Subway, it has a long way to go in volume and especially in it's higher pricing, to catch up with the market-share of the major Burger Chains.

I have had thier 6 dollar burger several times and have always had a freshly made enjoyable experience. I must add that thier hot ham and cheese sandwiches are a nice change when I am on the road.

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

Jaybird,
We saw Hardee's in the Ann Arbor to the Airport (DTW) to Brighton, Howell and Lansing 4 weeks ago. They looked quite busy.
Horton's is good, but like Subway, it has a long way to go in volume and especially in it's higher pricing, to catch up with the market-share of the major Burger Chains.

Really? For some reason I can't seem to find any in that area advertised or when I searched for it on the web. How many did you see, if any? The closest one (IN YOUR AREA) I have found where there is one (near the airport) is in Jackson, Michigan. There are also a couple near Lansing on I-69. Another couple are in Ottawa Lake (near Ohio border). I am serious, other than the one in Berkley, there are none in Metro Detroit, although some are close to that area, but not in Metro Detroit, like in the cities I mentioned and also in Flint, Michigan. Most of them have been replaced by Tim Horton's and Wendy's.

Didnt Hardees buy the Roy Rogers chain At some point , I seem to remember they changed them in to Hardees . And then chaned them back to Roys in a short space of time.
Eventually They sold the RR chain to Mcdonalds .Who closed most of them .
At least in some areas Roy still exists With private ownership

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

quote:

Originally posted by Adjudicator

Not that I ever go there anymore, except once in a blue moon for a breakfast biscuit, I haven't had a decent burger from this abode since 1973, when they still had their original grilling method. Does anyone else remember back that far?

The "ONLY" thing this chain has decent is a bisquit. Hardees/Carls could mess up an exotic dream

Paul e. Smith
Knoxville, TN

HERE HERE!!! Any chain who's whole advertizing campaign is based on food for slobs and people to stupid to cook a burger on the own says alot to me---mostly---"Stay out of my resteraunts!"

Well, I finally broke down and had one of Hardee's newly advertised Thick Angus Beef burgers. I went for the 1/3rd pound one. I was not all that impressed ! It was soggy and fell apart as I tried to eat it. And it seemed like it took forever to get it after I ordered !


As a side note .... Does anyone else think that the workers in these fast-food places are the most surliest people you have ever met ?? Does anyone else wonder if these workers were hired because of their surliness or were they trained to be that way ? And the funny thing is .... it seems to be prevalent throughout the whole fast-food industry !

quote:

Originally posted by jmckee

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Hardees had a good thing going here in Cincinnati, imho, before the Carl's jr deal .

Right after that, the food quality started to go down, and the prices went up, and the employees stopped caring and.....well, they're all closed now. NO Hardee's in all of Cincinnati.

And yes...they absolutely had the very, very best breakfast biscuit of any chain.

TJ, you're taking me down memory lane. We lived in Mt. Washington from our wedding in 1985 until we moved to the Eastgate area in 1997. Hardee's was, for part of that time, the only "fast food" place in the area, except for the Gold Star Chili commissary (which I don't care for).... Service, cleanliness, food were all LOUSY.

Nobody went there if they could avoid it. But the place stayed open. Even on the morning of a big surprise October snowstorm that knocked out power for hours, they couldn't keep coffee brewed!

The place burned down in 1989 or so, and we were thrilled; maybe we'd get something good. But they rebuilt! And the service, cleanliness, food all lived down to the original's standards.

Later, in the early 1992, a Wendy's opened across the street. It was a Godsend for the folks in our neighborhood. But still Hardee's stayed open--despite the fact that no matter when you passed the restaurant it was empty; nobody there but the employees.

This may be off topic, but that is the way I am feeling about the city of Toronto, Ontario (about 2 hours from where I live) for concerts and events and things to do, like you guys did about that Hardee's in Mt. Washington. I am trying to avoid Toronto since a year ago because I hate it so much, but I have had to come 3 times unexpectedly because my friends or family gave me tickets to see shows. Every time I went to Toronto those times, I hated every minute of it and I had a lousy time. It is not a very nice city at all, bad people and people full of themselves, drunk, and act weird, but people in Ontario go to it (Toronto) because they love it or they have no choice. But with Buffalo, NY and Detroit, MI, those two cities are "godsends" because now I can keep away from Toronto and go to Buffalo/Detroit for a good time rather than the "EVIL" city.

Exactly the same situation with you and Hardee's jmckee, I would avoid it as much as I could and never go there. You must have felt good the Wendy's came by. :D

Jaybird,
I guess it's the SoCal mentality that still has a hold on my thinking...Out west to go 100 miles for a burger, while not an everyday thing, was not an uncommon behavior. So when I considered the Detroit area, to me that reaches out to include the suburbs of Flint, Lansing etc etc. It isn't an accurate estimate using my adopted (eastern) frame of reference but you get my drift.
The two that come to mind were both on Grand River...One in Brighton and one further out in Howell. We were on 69 between Lansing and Flint and saw signs for one on that stretch of interstate also.
BTW... if I have a choice between a Hardee's and a Horton's I'll take the Horton's 99% of the time.

The number of Hardees restauraunts has greatly diminished here in northeast Wisconsin too. We have maybe 3 instead of the 10 we used to have. I tried a thickburger and yes it was reasonably good but the clincher here is I still like Culvers better and they are a little cheaper as far as getting a good cheeseburger.

Had a Hardees thick burger last week in Conway South Carolina. It was about 2pm I was the only customer , so they did'nt have to rush / took the time to do it right. My burger and fries were as they are supposed to be / hot and cooked just right.