Carl's Jr. Just Opened Its First Manhattan Location

Carl's Jr. has just opened its first-ever Manhattan shop on 7th Avenue in Herald Square. This is a huge step for the fast-food chain considering there aren't many locations east of the Mississippi River — sister-brand Hardee's, which is more of a sit-down restaurant, primarily runs those parts.

Until now, there's been only one other Carl's Jr. in New York City, and it opened on Coney Island January 9. Why? To satisfy West Coast expats itching for familiar tastes from the burger chain and to introduce the menu to an East Coast audience.

"We feel New York City aligns closest with the Carl's Jr. Cali-cool feel and experience," a Carl's Jr. spokesperson told The Daily Meal in an email.

Consumers appear to be enthused about the Left Coast giant's presence in the Big Apple. On the location's opening day, January 31, a line of hungry New Yorkers snaked along the sidewalk in the cold outside the eatery. Among those was Stacie Hawkins, whose very first job in college was at a Carl's Jr. She had already patronized the store earlier in the day for breakfast biscuits and had returned for lunch.

"I would take Carl's Jr. over McDonald's any day," she told The Daily Meal, noting the Golden Arches' presence right next door. "I like McDonald's breakfast and its Filet-O-Fish, but everything else — they can keep it."

Fans visiting the new Carl's Jr. can expect classic menu items, including breakfast sandwiches built with made-from-scratch biscuits, ranging from $2.49 to $4.69 each; charbroiled burgers sold for $2.99 to $6.09; Black Angus beef Thickburgers retailed for $5.39 to $6.39; and $5 All Star Meals with cheeseburgers, jumbo hot dogs, chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, onion rings, cookies, and fries.

There's even an option to lettuce-wrap your burgers instead of using a bun! 

And to wet your whistle, customers can expect Coke products, Minute Maid orange juice, coffee, and hand-scooped milkshakes. The midtown Manhattan shop also serves wine as well as beer from local and national breweries.

For those unfamiliar with Carl's Jr.'s cuisine, they might remember its racy commercials featuring half-naked models downing juicy burgers. One of the most popular ads stars a scantily-clothed Paris Hilton soaped up at the car wash, crawling on her hands and knees with a burger.

Readers may also recall this one of Kim Kardashian seductively eating salad while taking a bubble bath.

Last March, the company vowed to replace risqué commercials with advertisements that appeal to a larger audience. Andrew Puzder, former president and CEO of Carl's Jr., was sad to see them go.

"I think that any grocery store you go into, or drug stores you're going to see on magazine covers things that are more revealing than you saw in many of our ads," he told Fox Business in 2017. "I'm sorry that they feel that way, but we saved the company with those ads, we saved a lot of jobs."

But we can't say the same for chain founder Carl Karcher. The religious father of 12, who passed away in 2008, allegedly hated the commercials. He was reportedly "heartbroken" that the brand had "taken such an amoral act."

Find all this and more in the 10 things you didn't know about Hardee's and Carl's Jr.