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Gardner S. Hardee. Gardner Sheppard Hardee (July 19, 1842 – July 26, 1926) was the founding settler of Rockledge, Florida and a member of the Florida Senate representing the 13th district from 1889 to 1892. He was also a member of the Brevard County Board of Commissioners. He was the son of Thomas E. Hardee and Grace Jones, and the brother of ...
Gardner Sheppard Hardee was the founding settler of Rockledge, Florida and a member of the Florida Senate representing the 13th district from 1889 to 1892. He was also a member of the Brevard County Board of Commissioners.
Georgia. Florida Memory is a digital outreach program providing free online access to select archival records from collections housed in the State Library and Archives of Florida. Florida Memory digitizes materials that illuminate the state's history and culture. Florida Department of State. Division of Library & Information Services.
- Wilber Hardee Worked A Lot of Odd Jobs Before Starting Hardee's.
- He Achieved Local Success as A Musician Before Fighting in WWII.
- Hardee Consciously Emulated McDonald's…
- An Unlucky Poker Game Ended Wilber's Business Ownership.
- Mama Cass Elliot Sang A Popular Hardee's Jingle.
- The California Raisins Helped Advertise Hardee's Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits.
- Hardee's Competed with KFC Over Fried Chicken and Arby's Over Roast Beef.
- Carl's Jr. Bought Hardee's in 1997…
- …But Debate Continues About Hardee's Distinct Identity Since The Acquisition.
Wilber Hardee, the founder of Hardee’s, was born in rural North Carolina in 1918. After growing up on his family’s corn and tobacco farm, he yearned to travel and explore the world. During the Great Depression, he worked as a dishwasher and soda fountain clerkin Miami, earning $4.50 per week. He then rode freight trains around the country, playing ...
In 1937, Hardee was making money as a working musician, playing his guitar at square dances. His band, The Tobacco Ramblers, was popular locally and appeared on WEED, the major radio station in Rocky Mount, N.C. Hardee admitted in his autobiographythat he drank a lot of alcohol and became "something of a ladies’ man, going out with different girls ...
After WWII, Hardee opened and ran restaurants and inns in North Carolina, with names like the Do Drop Inn, Port Terminal Inn, and the Silo Restaurant. Inspired by how much money the McDonald’s in North Carolina made just by selling 15-cent hamburgers, Wilber opened Hardee’s Drive-In in Greenville, N.C. in September of 1960. He admitted that Hardee’...
In 1961, Hardee joined forces with a businessman, J. Leonard Rawls, and a salesman, Jim Gardner. The three men became partners, planning to open Hardee’s locations across the south, but in his autobiography, Hardee calls himself a fool for believing that they were honorable businessmen. In 1963, Wilber was drinking and playing poker with his partne...
In 1973, the singer Cass Elliot of The Mamas & The Papas recorded a popular jingle for Hardee’s to advertise the chain’s "charco-broiled" burgers. In the jingle, Mama Cass sings that she was eating lobster tails and caviar at a fancy party, but she had Hardee’s on her mind. The catchy slogan at the end of the song urged everyone to “Hurry on down t...
In 1978, Hardee’s began offering biscuits on their breakfast menu. Diners could order their biscuits with sausage, ham, bacon, eggs, or cheese. The fictional band the California Raisins partnered with Hardee’s for commercials in the 1980s, with Hardee’s also running a promotion giving California Raisins figurines to diners. Biscuits became a mainst...
In the 1970s and 1980s, Hardee’s locations proliferated as more and more franchise stores opened. In the early 1990s, some Hardee’s locations experimented with their food offerings in order to stay competitive. To compete with Kentucky Fried Chicken and Arby’s, Hardee’s sold fried chicken and roast beef sandwiches, respectively. And though some Har...
In 1997, CKE Restaurants, the parent company of the California-based Carl's Jr. burger chain, bought Hardee’s for $327 million. With over 2500 locations, Hardee’s was the fourth biggest fast food chain in America. After the acquisition, CKE gradually merged aspects of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., combining their branding and parts of their menus. For t...
Today, Hardee’s has the same branding (logo, website design, and marketing campaigns) as Carl’s Jr. Despite these similarities, customers argue that the two chains are hardly interchangeable: the Hardee’s menu is still more inspired by its southern food roots while Carl's Jr. has southwestern offerings like an El Diablo burger. Both chains sell Thi...
- Suzanne Raga
A Confederate soldier who fought in the 9th Georgia Infantry during the Civil War. He was born in Georgia and died in Florida, and is buried in Cocoa City Cemetery.
Gardner S. Hardee. Gardner Sheppard Hardee (July 19, 1842 – July 26, 1926) was the founding settler of Rockledge, Florida and a member of the Florida Senate representing the 13th district from 1889 to 1892. He was also a member of the Brevard County Board of Commissioners. He was the son of Thomas E. Hardee and Grace Jones, and the brother of ...
People also ask
Who owns Hardee's?
Who is Wilber Hardee?
When did Hardee & Wilber open a restaurant in North Carolina?
Why are Hardee's burgers smokier than other burgers?
Was Hardee's a copy of McDonald's?
Does Hardee's still sell fried chicken?
Sep 25, 2024 · Gardner Sheppard Hardee (July 19, 1842 July 26, 1926) was the founding settler of Rockledge, Florida and a member of the Florida Senate representing the 13th district from 1889 to 1892. He was also a member of the Brevard County Board of Commissioners. He was the son of Thomas E. Hardee and Grace
