I believe the cartoon sheriff's name was Gilbert Giddy-Up. Hardee's also had a great sliced ham sandwich which had a melted swiss style of gooey cheese on it, they called it the Yumbo. I still have one of the aluminum coins that says, good for one free cheeseburger, they gave them out in the 70's.

I worked at Hardees in laurinburg nc in 1976,they had a sandwhich that was called the big twin it was 2 patties with "secret sauce" that was actually thousand island dressing, lettuce and cheese...it was great. they always gave away cartoon glasses, also speedy mcgreedy was one of the characters that speedy mcgreedy was trying to catch. there are still a few hardees locations open around here but the burgers are not as good as they were all those years ago....

I went to Hardees in MN as a very young child. Loved them and they had a weird mustard/ketchup combination sauce if I'm remembering correctly. And statue with spiral eyes. I nearly drove off the road when I saw Hardees in Georgia when I was on a business trip. (I've lived in CA since age 5.) Turns out that they are just Carl's Jr. now. Same menu.

I recall when the first HARDEES restaurant opened here (Racine, WI) in 1974. It repaced a drive-in called Sandy's. Marshal Hardee was the company mascot until about 1977. The slogan at the time was, "Hurry on down to HARDEES...Where the burgers are charco-broiled." This HARDEES store is still open, along with another in Sturtevant.

As a kid in the 70's, I remember the Big Twin and prefered every thing at Hardees to McDonalds. It was a common stop for our little league football team after a win. Hardees had a junior version of the Big Twin that I always requested, it had the same sauce...

Hardee's was active in Australia in the early 1970's (trading in different states as "Hardee's" and "Hartee's"), before disappearing virtually overnight when a local TV current affairs show revealed that one of the stores was using dog food as hamburger patties...

I have great childhood memories when we use to go and eat at the Hardees in Mt. OLive, North Carolina in the 70's. I collected the cartoon glasses and I still have them. I love Hardees.

Hardees goes back to 1960, originating in Greenville, North Carolina. Over a 32-year period, Hardees bought up several restaurant chains. These included Burger Chef, Roy Rogers and Sandy's Drive-Ins. Most stores used the open-grill method of cooking burgers. Around 1998, Hardees switched to an all-angus beef burger menu, raising the prices considerably. A Hardees store opened in Sturtevant WI in 1995, but closed in 2014. Another on Racine's north side opened in 1990, replacing a chicken place. That Hardees closed in 2000. The 1974 store still operates.

Lambert's Local Line. From July, 1974, two newspaper ads in the Racine Journal-Times for Hardees (three months after it opened). First, introducing the quarter pound Heftee Burger, selling for 69 cents. Came with tomato, onion, pickle and two cheese slices. Restaurants were hesitant to use mushrooms, because of the botulism scare of 1973. Second ad offered a hard plastic quart cup with purchase of large soft drink (35 cents). The cup had cartoon figure of Marshal Hardee, with bullet holes in his cowboy hat. Slogans of the time were: Hurry On Down To Hardees and Feeling Good Inside.

Two animated commercials from 1974 with Marshal Hardee and a burger thief named Speedy McGreedy (wore trench coat). One ad highlights the Huskee Jr. double cheeseburger. The other, a cheeseburger combo meal.

Does any one remember the Hardee Husky? I used to love those burgers in the 70's. Does anyone remember the ingredients? Was it made with Thousand Island Dressing?

Found a great photo showing counter and menu board in the local Hardees, in the 1977 Park High School yearbook (Racine, WI). The Huskee was 89 cents, hamburger 34c, cheeseburger 39c, big twin 75c. Roast beef was 95c (highest priced sandwich). Pepsi was 25, 30 and 40c (no self-serve back then). Shakes were 35c. Fish sandwich 55c. The prices on beef products reflective of several years of wrangling between meatpackers and independent truckers, the domino effect caused by higher wage demands, mileage compensation and other factors like diesel fuel prices. When beef prices spiked in 1974, consumers staged a nationwide boycott, until prices came down again.

A photo in the 1979 Park High School (Racine) yearbook shows the counter, shortly after remodeling and expansion (to Hardee standards) of the dining area. Big ad sign for roast beef sandwiches. Regular was 95 cents, big roast beef (twice the meat) was $1.55, and shakes were 45 cents.

The 1977 Case High School (Racine, WI) has more photos of Hardees. Still in the former Sandy's building. Large new sign over front entrance. Marshal Hardee characters were gone. Good service counter shot with student employee and customer. Hot Ham & Cheese was 75 cents. Hamburger 49c, cheeseburger 59c. This was a bad school year. The teachers were on strike for seven weeks. To make up lost days, we had school on Saturdays, and school year ended July 1.

Four months nearly since Pandemic began. Restaurants had to close or scramble routines to ensure survival. This story is an indicator of different restaurant chains in SE Wisconsin have progressed since the state allowed reopening. Starting with the local Hardees. Drive-thru only open. No indoor takeout, seating or restroom access. McDonald's and Burger King: Drive thru and indoor takeout only. BK not allowing restroom access. Arby's: Fully open, including self-serve fountain. Wendy's: I didn't bother, after seeing the mile-long drive-thru line. Pizza Hut: No indoor seating yet. Cousins Subs (regional chain): Fully open with social distance concessions. Rocky Rococo Pizza & Pasta (regional chain): Mostly open, social distance concessions, no self-serve fountain. KFC: Mostly open. No self-serve drinks, social distance concessions. I understand that franchisees have little or no say in store operations regarding pandemic. If Reasonable social distancing practices are used, these restaurants should allow indoor seating, so we customers don't have to share our food with insects.

Local Line. First time in 17 months, the Hardee's in Racine, WI opened its lobby and indoor seating. Hours are limited, but I'll take it. Also, one Burger King, two McDonald's and Chick Fil A have resumed normal operations. KFC and Wendy's: Get with the program! Customers who don't own vehicles get hungry, too.

A newspaper ad in the Racine Journal-Times (July, 1973) announces the "Dawn Of a New Hardees, Opening Soon." The predecessor, Sandy's, closed in May. It was ironic that Sandy's paid $500 to publish ads in the local high school yearbooks, while its existence was doomed. Hardees opened that August, and retained the Sandy's building until corporate wanted a model Hardeees be built in 1978.

Hardee's in Roanoke VA has been short-staffed to point they had to close for a few days. Now opened they have ONE employee who is there to handle the drive-through as well as walk-in customers. Unbelievable - apparently no one wants a job - if they do get employed they work through one shift then don't come back. The dependable older employee works doubles and I don't believe she has had a day off in two months or more. It's a sad comment when this busy and popular restaurant can't get dependable and ethical employees. I hope something happens soon or it may close it's doors permanently.

More people need speak out like Teresa just did. The federal government recently ended the $300/wk. unemployment benefit. Was meant as incentive to get Americans back to work. There's still a serious disconnect. High school kids are home playing video games instead of bagging groceries or working at Hardees or other fast food places. At Hardees in Racine, Wis., the lobby and indoor dining still is open until 3:30 PM, and drive-thru until 9PM. McDonald's, unfortunately, chickened out and closed all indoor dining for winter. Two of three Burger Kings have open lobbies and dining until 8PM. Arby's closed both lobbies for winter, and Wendy's has been drive-thru only since 3/20. Pizza Hut allows indoor dining. KFC still drive-thru only. Chick Fil A generally runs normal. When short on workers, lobby and curbside subject to closure.

Todd, the Yumbo was at Burger King you dork

I worked at Hardee's in 1977 and 1978. We had a steak sandwich when I started there. I was there when they started the roast beef sandwich and the au jus made the sandwich. When they started the Hot ham and cheese were were told that the cheese for those was 90% digestible plastic. I worked as a cashier, cook, supervisor and Assistant manager. I really do miss those steak sandwiches.