Wilbur Hardee, Founder of Hardee's, Dies at 89
Entrepreneur opened the first Hardee's on September 3, 1960
ST. LOUIS, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilbur Hardee, 89, founder of Hardee's® restaurants, passed away on Friday, June 20, 2008.
Wilbur Hardee was born on August 15, 1917 in the rural community of Martin County, North Carolina, but his desire for adventure led him away from his family's farm. Those adventures often included hitchhiking trips with close friend Bill Edwards as far south as Miami, Florida and New Orleans, Louisiana and as far north as Washington, DC.
Hardee remained a restaurant mainstay in North Carolina, even without his signature restaurant. Between 1949 and 1991, he began 85 different restaurants throughout the Southeast.
Although Hardee had not been affiliated with the company that bore his name for many years, he was invited to participate in the 40th anniversary celebration of the franchise by CKE in 2000, where he met a kindred spirit, the late Carl Karcher, founder of CKE's other quick-service restaurant chain, Carl's Jr.
Wilbur Hardee dead at 89
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Wilbur Hardee dead at 89
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Re: Wilbur Hardee dead at 89
Did any of the other restaurants he started go on to the level of success that Hardee's has enjoyed?