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HARDEE'S (AA)
Hardee’s Restaurants LLC is a franchisor of quick-service restaurants operating under the Hardee’s brand, offering a limited menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner products featuring charbroiled 100% Black Angus Thickburger sandwiches, Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders, Made from Scratch Biscuits, and other related quick-serve menu items. The business model centers on granting franchises for traditional single-tenant locations, with options for single-unit or multi-unit development agreements, and also selling certain company-operated restaurants to franchisees. It targets consumers seeking affordable, fast-casual dining options in the competitive quick-service restaurant industry.
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Franchise Costs
4% royalty + 4.25% ad fund + $136/mo technology fee
Financial Performance
Item 19 Financial Performance
Data Based On: Average revenue data for 975 franchised Hardee's Freestanding Restaurants during the 53-week period from January 28, 2025 to January 26, 2026.
Extracted Item 19 Section
Avg. Revenue: $1,347,436
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Unlock financial performance dataHow HARDEE'S (AA) Compares
Key Insights
- Higher investment than 89% of Fast Food franchises
- Lower than average SBA loan default rate in Fast Food
| Franchise | Investment | Fee | Royalty | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
HARDEE'S (AA) Current | $1.4M – $2.6M | $25K | 4.0% | 1,287 |
| MCDONALD'S | $1.5M – $2.6M | $45K | N/A | 12,772 |
| LITTLE CAESARS | $377K – $1.8M | $20K | 6.0% | 3,788 |
| AFC | $45K – $151K | $6K | 8.0% | 3,572 |
| KFC (NON-TRADITIONAL) | $1.2M – $4.2M | $45K | N/A | 3,404 |
| SONIC DRIVE-IN | $1.5M – $2.5M | $15K | 5.0% | 3,120 |
Fast Food Average 134 franchises | $594K – $1.6M | $35K | 6.1% | – |
* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 134 Fast Food franchises by location count.
Locations & Growth
Outlet Growth Over Time
Total outlets at end of each year
Geographic Distribution (2026)
Outlets by state across the United States
+15 more states
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Unlock location growth dataSBA Loan History
Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for HARDEE'S (AA) franchisees (2016 – 2025)
Loans by Year
SBA 7(a) loan activity over time
* Data sourced from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records. Default rate calculated from charged-off loans.
7 SBA loans on record
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Unlock SBA loan historyFranchisee Contacts
1,233 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.
1,233 Contacts Available
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Unlock contactsDue Diligence
Litigation (Item 3)
Primarily disputes related to breach of contract, termination, and fee collection matters.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
ARC Burger, LLC filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy on April 20, 2026.
System Health (Item 20)
Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year
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Unlock due diligence reportsFrequently Asked Questions
The total initial investment to open a HARDEE'S (AA) franchise ranges from $1,385,000 to $2,637,395. This includes a franchise fee of $25,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 4.0% of gross sales.
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