Big Carl Burger
Big Chicken
Guacamole Bacon Thickburger
Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger
Superstar with Cheese
Famous Star with Cheese
Low Carb Thickburger
Crisscut Fries
Hearty Breakfast Platter
IN 1941 CARL HAD $326 AND A DREAM.
Our founder, Carl N. Karcher was born January 16, 1917, in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. He left school in the eighth grade to assist his parents on the family farm.
As a young man, Carl moved from Ohio to Anaheim, California, where he worked 12 hours, six days a week, at his uncle’s feed and seed store. In 1939, Carl was hired as a bread wrapper for Armstrong Bakery in Los Angeles, quickly earning a promotion to a sales and delivery position. Later that year, he married Margaret Heinz – a marriage that endured for more than 66 years and yielded 12 children, 51 grandchildren and 45 great-grandchildren.
On July 17, 1941, Carl and Margaret purchased a hot dog cart for $326 using $15 cash and $311 borrowed on his 1941 Plymouth Super Deluxe. The first day’s sales totalled $14.75. The business grew quickly, and on January 16, 1945, Carl opened Carl’s Drive-In Barbecue in Anaheim, California. The first Carl’s Jr.® restaurants opened in 1956.
Margaret passed away in 2006, and Carl passed in 2008, leaving a legacy that continues to grow around the world.
