Carl’s Jr. to Open First Restaurant East of the Mississippi River

by Katie Lee

Franklin, Tenn. — CKE Restaurants Inc., parent company of Carl’s Jr.® restaurants, is bringing its big, bold flavors to South Florida with its first restaurant in partnership with RSMG Holding LLC and Retail & Food International Brand. The new opening in Doral, Fla., is planned for late 2023 and marks the brand’s first location in Florida — as well as its first restaurant east of the Mississippi River.

The first South Florida Carl’s Jr. restaurant will boast the brand’s newly refreshed look.

“Carl’s Jr. is known for serving impossible to ignore flavors, so we are excited to bring our iconic brand to South Florida where audacious is a lifestyle and we’re sure to fit in,” says Chris Bode, chief operating officer of CKE Restaurants. “South Florida is an important part of our growth strategy.”

Ron Santolaya, owner and managing director of RSMG, and partners Milko Grbic and Claudio Fernandez are leading a team of investors with the primary mission of bringing Carl’s Jr. to Florida and positioning the brand as a market leader. RSMG is expected to break ground on the Doral, Fla., location this summer. CKE Restaurants and RSMG are actively searching for new real estate partners with drive-thru capabilities and are working to develop 35 Carl’s Jr. locations across the South Florida region.

“The CKE brands are beloved by people all over the world and we look forward to introducing this iconic brand to Florida with the opening in Doral,” says Santolaya. “This expansion will allow Carl’s Jr. to reach the South Florida community for the first time and offer a refreshing, new dining experience.”

Currently, Carl’s Jr. has more than 1,000 locations throughout the western part of the United States with a strong presence in California where the company was born more than 80 years ago. Additionally, the brand boasts an international footprint across 35 countries including over 300 restaurants in Mexico. For more information, visit www.carlsjr.com.

CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. (CKE), a privately held company based in Franklin, Tenn., runs and operates Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. With both a U.S. and international footprint, Carl’s Jr. Restaurants LLC and Hardee’s Restaurants LLC have over 3,900 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 44 states and 35 foreign countries and U.S. territories. For more information, visit www.ckr.com, www.carlsjr.com and www.hardees.com.


RSMG Holding LLC® is the exclusive partner in Florida to operate Carl’s Jr. Retail and Food International Brand (R&F IB) serves as the administrative and operational branch of RSMG by carrying out administrative functions that are optimal for scaling restaurant operations in the Florida market. Carl’s Jr. is one of the largest burger brands in the world, with more than 3,800 restaurants in over 28 countries.

SOURCE: CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.

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