Post #354554 by RevBambooBen on Sat, Jan 12, 2008 6:38 PM

FULLERTON, Calif. - Carl N. Karcher, who parlayed a $325 investment in a hot-dog cart into one of the largest hamburger chains in the West died Friday. He was 90. The founder of the Carl's Jr. fast-food chain suffered from Parkinson's disease and was being treated for pneumonia when he died at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, said Beth Mansfield, a spokeswoman for CKE Restaurants Inc. Karcher, a deeply religious father of 12, was famous in the fast-food industry for his rags-to-riches story -- a tale that was tainted in later years by an insider trading scandal and feuds with his board of directors that led to his eventual demise as chief executive officer. The company and its founder grew even more estranged in recent years when Carl's Jr., seeking to woo a younger male clientele, launched a series of ads that included a scantily clad Paris Hilton washing a car and Playboy Magazine founder Hugh Hefner, surrounded by beautiful women, expounding on the advantages of being able to enjoy a different variety of hamburger every night of the week. In happier years, Karcher had appeared in the chain's ads himself, cutting a grandfatherly figure as he stood alongside the smiling Carl's Jr. "Happy Star" logo. Karcher was working as a bread-truck driver in South Central Los Angeles when he noticed the large number of hot dog stands in the neighborhood and saw a business opportunity. He borrowed $311 on the 1941 Plymouth Super Deluxe he owned with his new bride, Margaret, added the rest in cash and bought his first pushcart hot dog stand. One cart soon became four, and by the end of World War II Karcher had opened his first restaurant, Carl's Drive-In barbecue, in Anaheim. He opened the first Carl's Jr. -- named "Jr." to distinguish it from his full-service eatery -- in 1956. "With the help and support of my wife and children, my faith in God, my good health, my belief in the free enterprise system, and my willingness to work hard, there was no way I could have failed," he wrote in his 1991 autobiography, "Never Stop Dreaming." From the beginning, Karcher wanted to appeal to a slightly higher-end customer who would pay a little more for quality fast food. Some of his restaurants had carpeting and allowed customers to have their orders delivered to their table. Karcher was also among the first to pick up on America's growing interest in healthier fast food, introducing grilled chicken sandwiches and salad bars. The business fit well with the postwar boom and California's emerging car culture. Today, Carl's Jr. has more than 1,000 locations across the West; its parent company, the Carpenteria, Calif.-based CKE Enterprises Inc., made $1.52 billion in sales in 2006 and had 29,000 employees. CKE also owns the Hardee's, La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill and Green Burrito chains. Karcher's religious and political views were always tightly interwoven with his business. The fast-food magnate began all board of directors meetings with the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi and handed out prayer cards along with Carl's Jr. coupons to people he met on the street. "I believe in certain moral principles. I'm a good Christian. I'm a conservative person," he told The Wall Street Journal for a 1993 profile. He was reviled by abortion rights activists for his contributions to anti-abortion groups and his oft-repeated story about talking a Carl's Jr. employee out of an abortion. Gay rights groups dubbed his hamburgers "bigot burgers" after Karcher supported a 1978 proposition that would have allowed school boards to fire teachers who were gay or advocated homosexuality. Karcher's initial success began to show cracks in the 1980s when he took the company public. Carl's Jr. locations in Texas and Arizona failed, ending his dream of becoming a national chain. In 1989, Karcher and his family agreed to a $664,000 settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission after the agency alleged Karcher told six family members to sell stock ahead of an announcement that company profits would plummet by 50 percent. Karcher never admitted wrongdoing under the terms of the settlement, which he later said he viewed as a good business decision. In 1993, after increasingly bitter feuds with his board of directors and crippling personal financial losses, the 76-year-old founder was ousted as the company's CEO. Under new leadership, the company revamped its advertising, slimmed down the menu and lowered prices. When the burger chain began running its racy TV ads, the Rev. Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral said Karcher was "just heartbroken that a company he founded on Christian principles has taken such an amoral act." Karcher, who rarely appeared in public in recent years,took part in a January 2007 ceremony when the city of Anaheim installed a star on its walk of fame honoring him and his wife, who had died of liver cancer in June 2006. He is survived by 11 children, Anne Marie Wiles, Patricia LaGraffe, Margaret Jean LeVecke, Carl L. Karcher, Catherine Karcher, Janelle Karcher, Father Jerome T. Karcher, Rosemary Miller, Barbara Wall, Joseph Karcher and Mary Miller; 51 grandchildren and 39 great-grandchildren. A daughter, Carlene Karcher, died in 1993.

My Famous Star with no picles, onions or mayo will never taste the same again!!