The New Platform
Hardee's is rolling out a four-item Flame-Grilled Steak platform across its 1,400-plus U.S. restaurants in 31 states, targeting the protein-forward breakfast and lunch dayparts that have become a primary traffic driver in the quick-service channel. The launch positions the Franklin, Tenn.-based chain against a convenience foodservice segment increasingly competing on hand-held breakfast quality and all-day protein builds.
The platform includes two breakfast sandwiches, a breakfast bowl, and an all-day Frisco sandwich. The Flame-Grilled Steak Biscuit pairs steak slices with a freshly fried egg and Swiss cheese on Hardee's signature Made from Scratch™ Biscuit. The Flame-Grilled Steak Breakfast Burrito wraps steak, folded egg, Hash Rounds®, and Swiss and cheddar cheeses in a tortilla, served with Texas Pete® hot sauce. The Flame-Grilled Steak Breakfast Bowl layers the same protein and cheese combination over crispy Hash Rounds®. Rounding out the lineup, the Flame-Grilled Steak Frisco brings the platform into lunch and dinner on buttery toasted sourdough with Swiss, lettuce, tomato, and garlic mayo.
Why It Matters
For c-store foodservice operators, the Hardee's move is worth watching as a signal of where QSR competition is heading on the breakfast forecourt. High-protein, chef-inspired breakfast builds — particularly those anchored by premium proteins beyond sausage and bacon — have been gaining share in both quick-service and convenience foodservice. NACS data has consistently shown that breakfast remains the highest-margin foodservice daypart for operators with a back-of-house program, and steak as a breakfast protein has historically commanded a price premium that widens ticket averages.
"Breakfast is what Hardee's is known for, and flame-grilled steak, packed with protein, is a hearty way to start the day," said Alisa Gmelich, president of Hardee's. "For lunch and dinner, we're putting it on our Frisco with melty Swiss, crisp lettuce and fresh tomatoes on buttery toasted sourdough. It's the kind of meal you want when the weather turns cold."
Loyalty and Limited-Time Overlay
Hardee's is pairing the steak launch with a My Rewards loyalty activation. Members receive 25% off snacks, sides, and shakes during an All-Day APPy Hour promotion running November 13–16 in recognition of National Fast Food Day, redeemable exclusively via the app or order.hardees.com. The loyalty-exclusive structure mirrors a broader QSR trend of gating promotional value behind app registration to build first-party data — a playbook that convenience loyalty programs have been adopting at an accelerating pace.
Also continuing through January 27, Hardee's S'mores platform offers an iced coffee, fried pie, and Hand-Scooped Ice Cream Shake™ for guests seeking a dessert-forward option. The dual-platform approach — savory steak and sweet S'mores running concurrently — reflects the chain's effort to cover multiple craving occasions during the fall and early winter period without cannibalizing its core breakfast traffic.
Parent company CKE Restaurants Holdings operates more than 3,600 franchised or company-operated Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants across 44 U.S. states and 35-plus countries, giving the steak platform significant reach in markets where QSR breakfast competes directly with c-store morning foodservice.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
