Carl's Jr. Restaurants LLC is an American fast food restaurant chain operated by CKE Restaurant Holdings, Inc., with franchisees in the United States and Canada. Carl Karcher and his wife Margaret founded the predecessor of Carl's Jr. in 1941, starting as a hot-dog cart in Los Angeles. In 2016, Entrepreneur listed Carl's Jr. as #54 on their Top Franchise 500 list, which ranks the overall financial strength, stability, and growth rate for the top 500 franchisees in any field across the United States.
