By Craig Giammona
Would you like fries in that?
Forget healthy food habits. A US fast-food chain has started selling what is possibly the world's fattest-ever burger -- a 1080-calorie burger that it hopes appeals to Americans' patriotic spirit, along with their appetites.
Light fare: The burger chain's ad stars "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit model Samantha Hoopes. Credit: Fab Fernandez, CKE Restaurants
Carl's Jr.'s The Most American Thickburger features a beef patty topped with hot dogs and a layer of potato crisps, combining three barbecue staples in a creation aimed squarely at the fast-food chain's core customers: "young, hungry guys." It has more than double the calories of a McDonald's Big Mac.
"People love these big, juicy, indulgent burgers," said Andy Puzder, the chief executive officer of closely held CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Carl's Jr. "We know who we are and we know how to appeal to our customers."
Artery-clogging: The Most American Thickburger is a burger and hot dog in one.Credit: CKE Restaurants via Bloomberg
The idea for the burger has been percolating inside the California-based company for almost five years, Puzder said. The chain toyed with including french fries on the burger, but found they wouldn't hold up against the moisture inside the sandwich. They got too soggy. The same was true of regular potato chips, so Carl's Jr. settled on kettle-cooked chips that are a bit hardier.
The fast-food chain, which is controlled by the private-equity firm Roark Capital, has about 3500 restaurants worldwide, including approximately 2900 in the US. There have been reports the company is also preparing to launch in Australia.
As part of its strategy of going after 18- to 34-year-old men, the company's ads feature scantily clad models and actresses, including Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and Charlotte McKinney. The new commercials for the American burger star Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Samantha Hoopes, who appears in a hot tub wearing an American flag bikini.
"It really emphasises the all-American nature of this burger and the taste sensation when you bite into it," Puzder said.
Complaints drive sales
The 64-year-old CEO said he has killed previous ads that he found too suggestive. He also shows each one to his wife before giving the green light. The commercials generate some complaints, but the attention -- whether good or bad -- ultimately helps the brand, Puzder said.
"Beautiful women eating burgers and washing cars -- what could be more American than that? I'm OK with it," he said. "We don't want to offend anyone, but the complaints seem to drive sales."
Carl's Jr.'s best performing restaurant over the last two years is in Williston, North Dakota, where sales topped $US4 million in 2014, almost four times the national average. Puzder attributed the performance to the male workers who have swarmed North Dakota looking for jobs in the oil and gas industry.
Nutritional concerns
And what about health concerns? With Chipotle promoting natural ingredients and McDonald's dabbling with kale, consumers are probably more focused on nutrition than ever before. Do they really want a burger topped with chips and hot dogs that packs 64 grams of fat, almost three times as much as a Big Mac?
Yes, Puzder said. Carl's Jr. offers turkey burgers and has an all-natural patty made with beef raised without antibiotics, but those items don't sell as well as the more indulgent burgers.
"I'm not the food police," Puzder said. "My job isn't to dictate to people what to eat. My job is to figure out what people want and sell it to them."
Bloomberg