[Jin-Roh]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u ... aurants_dc

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The parent of the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's burger chains is cashing in on consumer backlash against healthier fast-food fare with new premium burgers that make Big Macs look like rabbit food.
Carl's Jr. on Wednesday introduced the Breakfast Burger, a hamburger topped with a fried egg, hash browns, bacon and cheese, that weighs in at 830 calories and 46 grams of fat.
Hardee's, meanwhile, last month added the Monster Thickburger to its menu. With two one-third-pound beef patties, four strips of bacon, and three slices of cheese, the burger has 1,417 calories and a whopping 107 grams of fat.
The Monster Thickburger has hit a nerve with consumers weary of so-called "food police," said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing at Carl's Jr. and Hardee's.
One Hardee's customer said the Monster Thickburger piqued his interest because it flew in the face of recent trends toward healthier food.
To be fair, both Hardee's and Carl's Jr. have added healthier fare such as low-carb sandwiches to their menus and Hardee's will introduce a new barbecued chicken sandwich with just 4 grams of fat next week.
But the success of products like the Monster Thickburger and Carl's Jr.'s Pastrami Burger, which cost more than standard fast-food burgers, has sent sales soaring, one expert said.
CKE on Monday said wider profit margins, helped by the success of premium products, led to higher-than-expected quarterly earnings. Other burger chains are also responding to consumer clamoring for beefier burgers.
Burger King International Corp. introduced the Angus Steak Burger, made with 100-percent Angus beef, in May as its high-end burger offering. "The indulgent burger segment is as robust as it's ever been," Klein said in an interview, adding that sales of Angus Steak Burgers were two or three times those of its salads.
"It seems that McDonald's is marketing more toward families or women with children," said John Beisler, an analyst with Monarch Research.

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