Who founded the fast-food chain Hardee’s in Greenville, North Carolina, in 1960?

Wilber Hardee founded Hardee’s in Greenville, North Carolina, in 1960.

Hardee opened his first restaurant after studying the emerging fast-food hamburger model. The business became known for its charbroiled hamburgers and grew rapidly after Hardee sold the first franchise to Leonard Rawls and Jim Gardner in 1961.

Franchising was central to Hardee’s expansion. The chain spread beyond its original North Carolina base and eventually became particularly prominent in the American Midwest and South. Its history later became connected with the Carl’s Jr. restaurant company.

A common error is attributing Hardee’s founding to Carl Karcher, who founded Carl’s Jr. in California. The two brands later operated under common corporate ownership, but their origins were separate. Wilber Hardee supplied the name and started the original North Carolina chain.