Hardee’s serves up 1,420-calorie burger

[Donger]

As many fast-food chains introduce healthier fare amid fears of being sued, Hardee’s is bucking the trend, serving up a megaburger with 1,420 calories and 107 grams of fat.

St. Louis-based Hardee’s Food Systems Inc. Monday rolled out its Monster Thickburger — two one-third-pound slabs of Angus beef, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese and mayonnaise on a buttered sesame seed bun. The sandwich alone sells for $5.49 or $7.09 with a medium fries (520 calories) and soda (about 400 calories).

McDonald’s Corp., Wendy’s International Inc. and other fast-food giants have broadened their offerings of salad and other lower-calorie fare amid concerns the industry could be held legally liable for America’s obesity epidemic. Hardee's offers no such concessions, although the chain is not completely oblivious to dietary trends, offering at least three "low-carb" items including a low-carb Thickburger.

In an interview on CNBC, Hardee's chief executive Andrew Puzder was unapologetic, saying the company's latest sandwich is "not a burger for tree-huggers."

"This is a burger for young hungry guys who want a really big, delicious, juicy, decadent burger," he said. "I hope our competitors keep promoting those healthy products, and we will keep promoting our big, juicy delicious burgers."

Health-safety activist Michael Jacobson denounced the new Hardee's concoction.

"They would argue they are just giving people what they want. I would say this is beyond the pale," said Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "Probably no nutritionist ever imagined that a product like this would be marketed."

Jacobson pointed out that one Monster Thickburger contains twice the recommended daily allowance of saturated fat, and nearly a full day's worth of sodium. Even before the new Monster Thickburger, the chain offered five sandwiches with 1,000 calories or more, and eight overall that have more calories than what was once the big-burger standard — McDonald’s 600-calorie Big Mac.

"If Hardee's persists in marketing this junk, it should at least list calories right up on the menu board," Jacobson said.

While fast-food diets have been blamed for an epidemic of obesity and heart disease, last year a federal judge in New York dismissed two class-action suits blaming McDonald’s for making people fat.

“Maybe this is a smart strategy because there are still folks out there who care about the taste and size of their sandwich, and less about their weight,” said Jerry McVety, president of the restaurant consulting firm McVety & Associates in Farmington Hills, Mich.

[Donger]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6498304/?GT1=5809

[JimNasium]

Man, that is just obscene. I would be miserable after eating it but it would be a pleasurable misery.

[jspchief]

I'm getting fatter just looking at the picture. I can't wait to actually eat one.

That thing will give PF Chang's Dan-Dan Noodles and Outback's Aussie Fries a run for their money.

[Raiderhater]

I wish there was a Hardees (or the parent company Carl's Jr) around here so I could go support them.

Though I would demand some ketchup be added to the burger. Just mayo? Yuk.

[Spicy McHaggis]

Holy crap. Why wasn't this stuff around when I was 16 and could pack away 10,000 calories a day without any consequence at all.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by JimNasium

Man, that is just obscene. I would be miserable after eating it but it would be a pleasurable misery.

http://www.hardees.com/

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[Ghostof]

I'm waiting for a burger chain to offer the new "Blocked Artery Burger"

Maybe throw in the 4000 calorie protein and weight gain shake.


All food guaranteed to clog your arteries.

[Soupnazi]

Holy crap.

I was at a Hardees last summer at the lake, dying of hunger and got one of their chicken sandwiches. I couldn't figure out why it seemed to take forever to eat, and I was getting full with half of it still left. I thought to myself, "You're such a pussy. It's just a chicken sandwich. Eat the damn thing already."

I forced the damn thing down but didn't make it long after that. Ended up puking on the side of the road about a mile away. Just too much freaking food I guess.

[David.]

ketchup AND mayo?! you're nuts. Plus, that burger weighs more than you Jamie

[Soupnazi]

I wanna see someone eat that thing while shouting "BEEFCAKE!!!" at the top of their lungs.

[the Talking Can]

"Probably no nutritionist ever imagined that a product like this would be marketed."

and probably no nutritionist has ever been laid....just a guess

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by David.

ketchup AND mayo?! you're nuts.

That's what Burger King puts on their Whoppers (and probably their other burgers as well). Lots of people eat it that way. Though my preference is ketchup and mustard.

Plus, that burger weighs more than you Jamie

Geez, I've got people who have never met me cracking skinny jokes. You are not a trend setter, you are merely a follower.

However, that is exactly why I need to eat the damned thing.

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by ENDelt260

You don't have Hardee's or Carl's Jr there? That's terrible.

Yes, yes it is. Down here it is suck ass Jack In The Box (they have plenty of big burgers themselves, I just care for them).

I had a double six dollar burger on Monday. They don't have that listed on the nutrition guide on carls jr website, but the single is 956 calories. The double is two 1/2 pound patties.

Sounds wonderfull. I might get half of it eaten.....

[seclark]

how in the hell would i ever puke that thing back up?
sincerely,
Mary-Kate Olsen