Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s Introduce the Budweiser Beer Cheese Bacon Burger

America’s leading brewer, Anheuser-Busch, partners with Carl’s Jr.
and Hardee’s to unveil a new beer inspired burger

CARPINTERIA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Carl’s
Jr.® and Hardee’s®,
the sister chains known for pioneering in the quick service restaurant
(QSR) industry by regularly releasing creatively-charged, industry-first
premium burger offerings, have done it again with the launch of the
Budweiser® Beer Cheese Bacon Burger, now available at participating
restaurants nationwide.

Served on a brioche-style premium bun, the new burger features a
charbroiled, grass-fed, all-natural beef patty piled high with thick-cut
Applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions and Swiss
cheese. It’s topped with Budweiser beer cheese sauce – a hot and creamy
cheddar cheese sauce blended with the classic taste of America’s No. 1
full-flavored lager. The restaurants will also now serve Budweiser Beer
Cheese Fries: fries topped with the same hot beer cheese sauce and
sprinkled with crumbled bacon.

“Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s have long been pioneers in the QSR space,
debuting quality breakthroughs like our 100 percent Black Angus beef
Thickburgers® and our grass-fed, all-natural
beef burgers, which are still unmatched by any other major fast food
chain today,” said Brad Haley, chief marketing officer for Carl’s Jr.
and Hardee’s. “Our new Budweiser Beer Cheese Bacon Burger combines the
best of what we do with Budweiser beer cheese sauce, Applewood-smoked
bacon and caramelized onions on a charbroiled, grass-fed, all-natural
beef patty. It really is a beer and burger lover’s dream come true.”

“Anheuser-Busch is excited to join forces with Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s
for this retail partnership,” said Josh Halpern, Vice President of Small
Format and On-Premise for Anheuser-Busch. “Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s are
known for pushing boundaries, and they truly share Anheuser-Busch’s
commitment to quality ingredients and authenticity.”

Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s will promote the Budweiser Beer Cheese Bacon
Burger with a documentary-style new ad campaign, titled “Brewers,” that
both honors and gives thanks to the real-life Anheuser-Busch brewers who
make America’s No. 1 full-flavored lager day in and day out. Developed
by Los Angeles-, New York- and Amsterdam-based creative agency 72andSunny,
the commercial will begin airing on TV nationally on October 31, as well
as on the chains’ YouTube channels.

The Budweiser Beer Cheese Bacon Burger is available as a grass-fed,
all-natural single patty for $5.59, a grass-fed, all-natural double
patty for $6.89, and as a 100 percent Black Angus beef, 1/3-lb.
Thickburger for $6.89, all of which can be ordered as a combo meal with
fries and a drink starting at $8.59. The Budweiser Beer Cheese Fries are
available as an entrée for $2.99; prices for both items may vary by
location.

About CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.

CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. (“CKE”) is a privately held company
headquartered in Carpinteria, Calif. CKE is not a franchisor and
conducts substantially all of its restaurant activities and operations
through its subsidiaries. Carl’s Jr. Restaurants LLC and Hardee’s
Restaurants LLC own, operate and franchise the Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s,
Green Burrito® and Red Burrito® concepts. Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s
operate as one brand under two names, acknowledging the rich regional
heritage of both banners. After opening their first restaurants in New
York and New Jersey last spring and recent international openings in
Japan, Australia and Kenya, Carl’s Jr. Restaurants LLC and Hardee’s
Restaurants LLC now have a total of 3,733 franchised or company-operated
restaurants in 44 states and 39 foreign countries and U.S. territories.
Known for its one-of-a-kind premium menu items such as 100 percent Black
Angus Thickburgers®, Made from Scratch™ Biscuits, and Hand-Breaded
Chicken Tenders™, as well as an award-winning marketing approach, the
Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s brand continues to deliver substantial and
consistent growth in the U.S. and overseas. The Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s
system is now 94 percent franchised, with international restaurants
representing 20 percent of the system. For more information about CKE,
please visit www.ckr.com
or its brand sites at www.carlsjr.com
and www.hardees.com.

About Anheuser-Busch

For more than 160 years, Anheuser-Busch and its world-class brewmasters
have carried on a legacy of brewing America’s most-popular beers.
Starting with the finest ingredients sourced from Anheuser-Busch’s
family of growers, every batch is crafted using the same exacting
standards and time-honored traditions passed down through generations of
proud Anheuser-Busch brewmasters and employees. Best known for its fine
American-style lagers, Budweiser and Bud Light, the company’s beers lead
numerous beer segments. Budweiser and Bud Light Lime Lime-A-Rita were
named Brands of the Year for the Beer and the Spirits, Malt Beverages
and Wine categories, respectively, by Ace Metrix® in 2014.
Anheuser-Busch is the U.S. arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev and operates 20
local breweries, 21 distributorships and 23 agricultural and packaging
facilities across the United States. The company committed to investing
more than $1.5 billion in its U.S. brewing, agriculture, packaging and
distributing operations by 2018. Its flagship brewery remains in St.
Louis, Mo., and is among the global company’s largest and most
technologically-capable breweries. Visitor and special tours are
available at its St. Louis and five other Anheuser-Busch breweries. For
more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

Contacts

On behalf of CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.
Coast Public Relations
Kate
Franklin, 818-606-9784
kate@coastprgroup.com
or
Anheuser-Busch
Lisa
Weser
media@anheuser-busch.com