Registry

Does Hardee's / Carl's Jr (CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.) support Israel?

Support documentedupdated 2026-07-30

Yes — Hardee's / Carl's Jr (CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.) has documented support for Israel on record. Every claim below links to its source.

Filed under: Fast food & restaurant chains · Companies that support Israel

Background

Hardee's and Carl's Jr are sister brands of CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. of Franklin, Tennessee, a private company owned by Roark Capital, running roughly 4,000 restaurants in 44 US states and 43 other countries. Neither brand has ever operated a restaurant in Israel: the 2021 press coverage of CKE's Israeli market push rests on the point that Israel was the only Middle Eastern country without a Hardee's, and no opening has been recorded since. No donation, in-kind aid, statement, investment, contract or sponsorship in support of Israel has been documented for CKE, Hardee's or Carl's Jr, and the company's US political action committee gave only to American federal and state candidates. Across the Middle East and North Africa the Hardee's franchise is held by Americana Restaurants International PLC, the Abu Dhabi- and Riyadh-listed operator two-thirds owned by Adeptio, a vehicle of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and the Emirati businessman Mohamed Alabbar. That is a regional operator relationship, not an Israel link: Americana has no restaurants in Israel, and it was one of the businesses worst hit by the post-October-7 boycott of American brands, its 2024 revenue falling about 9% to $2.20 billion and net profit 38.8% to $158.8 million. Attribution note: founder Carl Karcher's and former chief executive Andrew Puzder's personal politics are sometimes cited in arguments about the chain, but no well-sourced Israel-related act by either man was found, and in any case an executive's personal record is not a corporate act.

Israel Hayom — "Israel is the only country in the Middle East that still has no Hardee's branch" (3 Dec 2021) Wikipedia — Carl's Jr. (international country list, no Israel) Wikipedia — Hardee's (Americana Group operates most Middle East franchises) Americana Restaurants — FY2024 results press release (revenue and profit decline) AGBI — Americana Restaurants company profile and boycott impact

Documented support

TypeDateAmountRecipientSources
Operations in Israel2021-10—Israeli market — planned entry and exclusive-franchise recruitment
CKE Restaurants Holdings, the Franklin, Tennessee owner of Hardee's and Carl's Jr, publicly opened a drive to enter Israel in October–December 2021, at a time when Israel was, in the company's own framing, the only country in the Middle East without a Hardee's branch. Mark Moshkin, CKE's senior vice-president for international franchise sales and development, said market analysis showed "readiness for at least 50 restaurants in the coming years" and that the company was looking for a partner with the operational and financial capacity to build "at least 10–15 branches in the first phase of an exclusive development agreement." An investor and prospective-franchisee conference was held in Israel in December 2021 in cooperation with the US Commercial Service at the American embassy in Israel, and CKE's Middle East and Africa regional manager Jeff Spear said adapting the meat to kosher rules would be no obstacle. This was a corporate business-development initiative aimed at the Israeli market, not a donation or a political act — and, as of July 2026, no source records a Hardee's or Carl's Jr restaurant actually opening in Israel, nor an announcement that the plan was formally dropped.

Frequently asked questions

Did Hardee's / Carl's Jr (CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.) donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?

We have no records of cash donations, but Hardee's / Carl's Jr (CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.) has documented support of other kinds (Operations in Israel). See the records on this page.

Where does this information come from?

Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 8 distinct sources are cited for Hardee's / Carl's Jr (CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.). Our methodology page explains the full verification process.

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2026-07-30

Companies with documented support