IN 1941 CARL HAD $326 AND A DREAM.
Our founder, Carl N. Karcher was born January 16, 1917, in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. He left school in the eighth grade to assist his parents on the family farm.

As a young man, Carl moved from Ohio to Anaheim, California, where he worked 12 hours, six days a week, at his uncle’s feed and seed store. In 1939, Carl was hired as a bread wrapper for Armstrong Bakery in Los Angeles, quickly earning a promotion to a sales and delivery position. Later that year, he married Margaret Heinz – a marriage that endured for more than 66 years and yielded 12 children, 51 grandchildren and 45 great-grandchildren.

On July 17, 1941, Carl and Margaret purchased a hot dog cart for $326 using $15 cash and $311 borrowed on his 1941 Plymouth Super Deluxe. The first day’s sales totalled $14.75. The business grew quickly, and on January 16, 1945, Carl opened Carl’s Drive-In Barbecue in Anaheim, California. The first Carl’s Jr.® restaurants opened in 1956.

Margaret passed away in 2006, and Carl passed in 2008, leaving a legacy that continues to grow around the world.