Carpinteria, California, Nov. 21 - CKE Restaurants, Inc. announced today that its Carl's Jr.(R) and Hardee's(R) restaurant chains are now expected to complete the transition to zero trans fat cooking oil by the end of 2008.
CKE Restaurants, Inc. originally anticipated the conversion to be completed in its Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants in early 2008, but has determined that additional time will be needed to complete the roll out to the entire chain. During the latter stages of the testing process we encountered operational issues and it became apparent that many restaurants required more time to effectively transition to Canola oil. Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are committed to the use of Canola cooking oil because it provides an ideal transition to zero trans fat, while not sacrificing the taste and flavor of the premium quality menu items that guests have come to expect.
As of the second fiscal quarter ended August 13, 2007, CKE Restaurants, Inc., through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,020 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 43 states and in 13 countries, including 1,111 Carl's Jr. restaurants, 1,909 Hardee's restaurants.