Franchise of The Day: This Savory Restaurant's Best Known for Its Midwestern Comfort Food Its options range from biscuits, burgers and chicken.

By Lindsay Friedman Mar 24, 2016

Share

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Founded in 1960, Hardee's was opened by Wilber Hardee in Greenville, N.C. In just five months, he had his first franchisee.

The company was acquired by another entity -- California-based CKE Restaurants Inc., franchisor of Carl's Jr. Restaurants -- in 1997.

The fast-acting business man, along with his roots and acquisition played a big part in why Hardee's is ranked as No. 12 in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 list.

Lindsay Friedman

Staff writer. Frequently covers franchise news and food trends.

Lindsay Friedman is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

She Started a Business to Shift the Status Quo in Her Male-Dominated Industry. It Did $250,000 Revenue in Year 1 — Then Tripled That.
Baby Boomers Over 75 Are Getting Richer, Causing a 'Massive' Wealth Divide, According to a New Report
I Didn't Think I Could Afford a Vacation Home — But Now It's My Most Profitable Investment
This Mom's Creative Side Hustle Started As a Hobby With Less Than $100 — Then Grew Into a Business Averaging $570,000 a Month: 'It's Crazy'
'I Don't Know How I Know This, But I Know This': Learn This Psychic Medium's Method for Trusting Your Intuition
These Are the Top 10 Burger Franchises in 2025 — And They Can Make More Than $1 Million a Year

Most Popular

Side Hustle

After College, She Spent $800 to Start a Side Hustle That Became a 'Monster' Business Making $35 Million a Year: 'I Set Intense Sales Targets'

Demi Marchese wanted to build a "bold, global, connected" business.

By Amanda Breen

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

AI Could Cause 99% of All Workers to Be Unemployed in the Next Five Years, Says Computer Science Professor

Professor Roman Yampolskiy predicted that artificial general intelligence would be developed and used by 2030, leading to mass automation.

By Sherin Shibu

Buying / Investing in Business

From a $120M Acquisition to a $1.3T Market

Co-ownership is creating big opportunities for entrepreneurs.

By StackCommerce

Buying / Investing in Business

Big Investors Are Betting on This 'Unlisted' Stock

You can join them as an early-stage investor as this company disrupts a $1.3T market.

By StackCommerce

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg 'Insisted' Executives Join Him For a MMA Training Session, According to Meta's Ex-President of Global Affairs

Nick Clegg, Meta's former president of global affairs, says in a new book that he once had to get on the mat with a coworker.