Carl's Jr. and Hardee's Continue Hand-Breaded Chicken Innovation with New Hot Honey Chicken Lineup

Restaurants Partner with Adult Swim; Offer an Exclusive Combo Meal with Limited-Edition Figurines

FRANKLIN, Tenn. - Sept. 22, 2021 - Today, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are providing a kick of sweet heat to your day with the debut of their Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches, including the Hot Honey Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwich, Hot Honey Hand-Breaded Chicken Biscuit and Hot Honey Hand-Breaded Chicken and Waffle Sandwich.

To celebrate the launch, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are teaming up with Adult Swim, adding even more flavor to the Hot Honey lineup release. Beginning Sept. 22 - Nov. 7, fans can make any combo an Adult Swim meal featuring an exclusive figurine, Adult Swim-themed cup, and a large order of fries during lunch and dinner hours. Figurines will be characters from six fan favorite Adult Swim shows including "Robot Chicken," "Metalocalypse," and "Sealab 2021."

Each sandwich is drizzled with the brand's new special Hot Honey Sauce on either a bun, savory biscuit or Belgian style waffles served along with a tender, all-white meat chicken breast filet, hand-battered and breaded. Experience the delicious sting of the unique Hot Honey Sauce, which is sweet at first with a warm spiciness -- the perfect vehicle for delivering sweet-and-spicy flavor on your Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwiches morning, noon and night. Try all three, if you can handle the heat:

· Hot Honey Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwich: Hand-Breaded Chicken that you love topped with crispy bacon, melty cheese and drizzled with Hot Honey Sauce all between a premium potato bun.

· Hot Honey Hand-Breaded Chicken Biscuit: For breakfast, enjoy Hand-Breaded Chicken topped with the sweet heat of Hot Honey Sauce between our fluffy Made From Scratch(TM)Biscuit.

· Hot Honey Hand-Breaded Chicken and Waffle Sandwich: Looking for extra-sweet heat anytime of the day? Hand-Breaded Chicken nestled between two Belgian style waffles and topped with Hot Honey Sauce is available all day.

"After making a huge splash earlier this year with our Hand-Breaded Chicken line-up we've decided to bring the heat - plus a little sweet - with our Hot Honey lineup aimed to continue to WOW our customers with flavor they can't get anywhere else," said Owen Klein, vice president of global culinary innovation at CKE Restaurants. "Our hot honey sauce is a match made in heaven with our Hand-Breaded Chicken, surely our guests will be asking for it long after it's gone."

In addition to the exclusive Adult Swim meal in restaurants, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are hosting three Happy-Thons on Adult Swim, filled with your favorite shows including "Sealab 2021," "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "Space Ghost Coast to Coast" on Oct. 8, Oct. 15 and Oct. 22 -- check your local listings.

"We always aim to bring our latest creations to life with timely and culturally relevant partnerships and campaigns -- therefore, Adult Swim and our Friday Happy-Thons are the perfect way to establish even more buzz around the Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches," said Patty Trevino, senior vice president of brand marketing at CKE Restaurants. "The network's passionate followers appreciate both innovation and authenticity, which aligns with Carl's Jr. and Hardee's consumers. We're excited to tap into this strong fan base with the Adult Swim meal available in our restaurants."

"Carl's Jr. and Hardee's customers don't have to pretend they have kids to dig into this exclusive Adult Swim meal. You're never too old for a Meatwad figurine," said Tricia Melton, chief marketing officer, Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics at Warner Brothers.

All three Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches are now available for a limited time at participating Carl's Jr. and Hardee's locations.

Follow Carl's Jr. and Hardee's on social media for the latest news and promotional offers. Twitter: @CarlsJr and @Hardees Instagram: @CarlsJr and @Hardees Facebook: www.facebook.com/carlsjr and www.facebook.com/hardees

About CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.

CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. ("CKE"), a privately held company based in Franklin, Tennessee, runs and operates Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, two beloved regional brands, known for one-of-a-kind premium and innovative menu items such as 100 percent Black Angus Thickburgers(R), Made from Scratch(TM) Biscuits and Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwiches(TM). With both a US 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 42 foreign countries and U.S. territories. For more information about CKE, please visit www.ckr.com or its brand sites at www.carlsjr.com and www.hardees.com.

About Adult Swim

Adult Swim (AdultSwim.com), launched in 2001, is WarnerMedia's #1 brand for young adults offering original and acquired animated and live-action series. Airing nightly from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. (ET/PT) on its linear channel, and also available through HBO Max, Adult Swim is basic cable's #1 network with persons 18-34 and 18-49, and is seen in 94 million U.S. homes, reaching over 40 million viewers via HBO Max.