CARPINTERIA, Calif. – Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurants have entered the value meal battle, and parent company CKE Restaurant has enlisted a real fighter to spread the word — Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield — who will appear in commercials that will air nationally starting Jan. 23.
CKE’s value menu is called the $4 Real Deal and includes a double cheeseburger and spicy chicken sandwich, both served with fries and a drink. CKE said its value menu is the “real deal” because it offers more food while competitors offer only one entrée sandwich.
“The fast food industry hasn’t seen this kind of a price war since the ‘90s, but other chains are now trying to fight the fight by promoting small amounts of food for a small amount of money. But, just because something’s cheap doesn’t mean it’s a great deal,” said Brad Haley, CMO for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurants. “At Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, we’re committed to offering our customers a value option that’s the ‘Real Deal,’ with two sandwiches, including a charbroiled Double Cheeseburger and our famous Spicy Chicken Sandwich, plus fries and a drink for just four bucks. And there's no one better to help us communicate this ‘Real Deal’ in our new ad campaign than four-time heavyweight champion, Evander ‘The Real Deal’ Holyfield.”
McDonald’s Corp. recently launched the McPick 2 menu which allows customers to choose two items — from a McDouble, a McChicken, small fries and mozzarella sticks — for $2. The McPick 2 came after The Wendy’s Company announced its 4 for $4 deal. Burger King came up with a 5 for $4 deal featuring a bacon cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, small fries, small drink and a chocolate chip cookie, for $4. And Pizza Hut got into the value menu melee when it launched a $5 Flavor Menu that features a selection of items and four 20-oz. Pepsi beverages for $5 each when ordering two or more.
