Carl’s Jr. Opens Its First Restaurant in Japan, Continuing the Brand’s Impressive International Growth

Global burger chain plans 150 restaurants in Japan over next 10 years

TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. (CKE), parent company of Carl’s Jr.® and
Hardee’s®, continues its impressive international growth with the
opening of its first Carl’s Jr. restaurant in Japan. Operated by Carl’s
Jr. Japan Inc., a subsidiary of Mitsuuroko Group Holdings Co., Ltd.,
(MGHD), the restaurant will be located in the Akihabara area of Tokyo.
This marks the first of a multi-unit development agreement between CKE
and MGHD to develop 150 Carl’s Jr. restaurants in Japan over
the next 10 years. As part of the development deal, Carl’s Jr.
restaurants also are scheduled to open in Azabujyuban, Odaiba, Shibuya
and Roppongi.

“Japan is the largest burger market in Asia and Japanese consumers are
well known for their passionate enthusiasm for quality, great tasting
food. The Carl’s Jr. brand and menu are perfectly positioned for Japan
as we offer bigger, better tasting, chargrilled burgers served with high
quality, fresh ingredients and best-in-class customer service,” said Ned
Lyerly, President, International at CKE. “We partnered with the
Mitsuuroko Group as our Master Franchisee in Japan to establish our
brand across the country and we are confident in our collective ability
to deliver to a superior level of guest satisfaction in our restaurants.”

“Carl’s Jr. fills a major void in the Japanese burger market. There’s no
other global burger chain that offers such premium and innovative menu
items served with industry leading customer service. What’s more is the
brand exudes a cool, youthful and edgy persona that will resonate with
Japan’s burger lovers of all ages,” said Mr. Kohei Tajima, the CEO of
MGHD. “We are honored to open the first Carl’s Jr. in Japan and look
forward to elevating the brand’s presence in the market over the next
decade.”

Open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., the Carl’s Jr. restaurant in Akihabara
will offer innovative breakfast, lunch and dinner menu items including
the brand’s signature line of 100% Angus Beef Thickburgers, such as the
Western Bacon Cheeseburger and Jalapeno Thickburger, along with
Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders^™ and Hand-Scooped Ice Cream
Shakes^™. The restaurant will also offer complimentary Wi-Fi,
a refillable beverage bar and draft beer.

To celebrate the arrival of Carl’s Jr. in Japan, the restaurant will
give away “A Year’s Worth of Free Burgers” to the first 50 people
through the door on opening day. This popular promotion is well-loved by
fans around the world with some of them lining up days before the
restaurant opens.

Key facts about Carl’s Jr. in Akihabara

• Address: 4-4-3, Sotokanda Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
• Hours of operation: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily; breakfast hours: 8 a.m. to
  10:30 a.m. daily
• Menu features:
  • Carl’s Jr.’s signature line of 100 percent Angus Beef Thickburgers®
  • High-quality, all-white-meat Chargrilled and Hand-Breaded Chicken
  • Hand-Scooped Ice Cream Shakes™
  • Refillable beverage bar
  • Special amenities:
    • Complimentary Wi-Fi

    For more information on CKE franchise opportunities, please visit www.ckefranchise.com.

    Follow Carl’s Jr. Japan on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/carlsjr.japan/)
    and visit our brand site www.Carlsjr.jp
    for the latest product news and promotional offers.

    Mitsuuroko Group Holdings Co., Ltd

    Mitsuuroko Group Holdings Co., Ltd. engages in Japan’s energy, real
    estate, health, sports, beverage, grocery store and power generation
    industries. The agreement with CKE Restaurants and Carl’s Jr. marks
    Mitsuuroko’s first venture into the Quick Service Restaurant category.

    About CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.

    CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. (“CKE”) is a privately held company
    headquartered in Carpinteria, Calif. Through its subsidiaries, CKE owns
    and licenses Carl’s Jr.® and Hardee’s® quick-service restaurants. CKE
    operates Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s as one brand under two names
    acknowledging the regional heritage of both banners. After recent
    openings in Australia, Columbia, Guatemala and Honduras, CKE now has a
    total of 3,664 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 44 states
    and 37 foreign countries and U.S. territories. Known for its
    one-of-a-kind premium menu items such as 100 percent Angus Beef
    Thickburgers®, Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders™ and Hand-Scooped Ice Cream
    Shakes™, as well as an award-winning marketing approach, the Carl’s
    Jr./Hardee’s brand continues to deliver substantial and consistent
    growth in the U.S. and overseas. The Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s system is now
    92 percent franchised, with international restaurants representing 19
    percent of the system. For more information about CKE, please visit www.ckr.com or
    its brand sites at www.carlsjr.com and www.hardees.com.

    Contacts

    Coast Public Relations
    Kate Franklin, 818-606-9784
    kate@coastprgroup.com