Irene Jiang / Business Insider
The flagship burger at Carl's Jr. is the Famous Star.
- Every burger chain has something that makes it stand out.
- However, as someone who'd never eaten at Carl's Jr. before, I had trouble figuring out what that chain's "thing" is.
- I ate at a Carl's Jr. restaurant for the first time in order to find out why people might choose to eat at Carl's Jr. over other chains. Here's what my experience taught me.
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Carl's Jr. is a confusing chain.
Is Carl's Jr. the same as a Hardee's? The answer is complicated. What is Carl's Jr. known for, other than its racy "slutburger" ads and releasing a CBD burger on April 20? What is its food known for?
Every hamburger chain has something. McDonald's is, well, McDonald's. Burger King has "flame-grilled" patties, and Wendy's has "never-frozen" beef. But Carl's Jr. doesn't really have a "thing" that makes it stand apart from other chains, including its sister chain Hardee's.
Models might bring people to the door, but no one goes into Carl's Jr. to find that. What people really care about is the food.
In order to find out what sets the food at Carl's Jr. apart, I ate at the chain for the first time. Here's what it was like.