On Thursday, I spoke with Joe Kernan at CNBC’s “Squawk Box” about another fast food industry first coming from Carl’s Jr. The Carl’s Jr. All-Natural Burger is the first among major fast food companies to feature a grass-fed, free-range beef patty without added hormones, antibiotics or steroids.
During the interview, I said that my job was not to tell people what to eat, but to figure out what they want to eat and then serve it to them. Research showed us that consumers, particularly millennials, want more natural products, so we’re giving them what they’ve asked for. We’re rolling out the All-Natural Burger at Carl’s Jr. in the west on December 17 and testing it in our Hardee’s markets right now.
Joe also asked me about the headwinds that the fast food industry is managing right now. I mentioned part-time labor, commodity costs and Obamacare. To see my response and the full interview, click here.
Also Thursday, Katie Little from CNBC.com posted an interview about our company’s continued uptick in sales, growth and relevance to consumers. Despite the media’s focus on McDonald’s, the rest of us in the fast food industry aren’t seeing the same problems. In fact, I think most of us in fast food are experiencing the benefits of lower gas prices, which is putting more cash in people’s pockets. To read the full article, click here.