CKE RESTAURANTS, INC. REPORTS THIRD QUARTER FISCAL 2012 RESULTS

CARPINTERIA, Calif. — December 13, 2011 — CKE Restaurants, Inc. (“CKE”) announced today its third fiscal quarter financial results for the twelve weeks ended November 7, 2011. The Company expects to file its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 after the close of the financial markets.

Company-Operated Same-Store Sales and Average Unit Volumes

Blended same-store sales increased 1.9% in the third quarter of fiscal 2012. Carl’s Jr.^® same-store sales increased 2.0% and Hardee’s^® same-store sales increased 1.8%.

At the end of the third quarter, the blended fifty-two week average unit volume for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s was $1,246,000. The fifty-two week average unit volumes for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s were $1,405,000 and $1,102,000, respectively.

To date, the Company’s blended same-store sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 are positive in the low single digit range.

Third Quarter Results

The Company reported total revenue of $292.6 million for the fiscal 2012 third quarter, an increase of $7.8 million, or 2.8%, compared to the fiscal 2011 third quarter.

“Hardee’s continued to generate positive same-store sales results during the third quarter. Including period ten and the third quarter, Hardee’s has now had twenty-two consecutive periods and six consecutive quarters of positive same-store sales. Carl’s Jr. also performed well, posting its third consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales,” said Andrew F. Puzder, Chief Executive Officer.

For the fiscal 2012 third quarter, company-operated restaurant-level adjusted EBITDA margin was 16.9%, a 30 basis point decrease compared to the prior year quarter. Food and packaging costs increased 110 basis points, primarily as a result of higher commodity costs for beef, oil and cheese products. Advertising increased 20 basis points. These increases were offset by a 50 basis point decrease in labor costs and a 50 basis point decrease in occupancy and other expense, excluding depreciation and amortization. Refer to the further discussion of company-operated restaurant-level adjusted EBITDA margin under the heading “Non-GAAP Measures” below.

Adjusted EBITDA was $37.9 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2012, $0.6 million lower than the prior year quarter. Refer to the further discussion of Adjusted EBITDA under the heading “Non-GAAP Measures” below, which includes a reconciliation of net (loss) income to Adjusted EBITDA.

As of November 7, 2011, cash and cash equivalents were $61.1 million and the Company had $68.5 million available under its credit facility with no borrowings outstanding.

During the third quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company purchased $8.2 million of the principal amount of its outstanding 11.375% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2018 (the “Notes”) at par value in an open market transaction and paid the associated accrued and unpaid interest on these purchased Notes of $0.2 million. The Company recognized a loss of $0.3 million on the early extinguishment of these Notes. Subsequent to the purchase, and as of November 7, 2011, the aggregate principal amount of the Notes outstanding was $551.8 million.

This fiscal year, through November 7, 2011, the Company has entered into agreements with independent third parties under which the Company sold and leased back 29 restaurant properties. The Company received pre-tax net proceeds of $40.7 million in connection with these transactions. During the third quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company entered into 18 of these transactions, generating pre-tax net proceeds of $24.7 million.

In accordance with the indenture governing the Notes, the Company is required to make an offer to repurchase its Notes with a portion of the net proceeds received from sale-leaseback transactions. Pursuant to these requirements, on December 1, 2011, the Company commenced a tender offer to purchase up to $27.9 million of the principal amount of the Notes (“Tender Offer”) at a redemption price of 103%, which expires on December 29, 2011. In addition to the Tender Offer, on December 1, 2011, the holders of the Notes were notified that the Company will redeem on January 4, 2012, conditioned in part on the result of the Tender Offer, up to $20.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Notes outstanding on January 4, 2012 (“Redemption”) at a redemption price of 103% pursuant to the terms of the indenture governing the Notes. Pursuant to the Redemption, the Notes to be redeemed will be reduced so that the total principal amount of Notes purchased in both the Tender Offer and Redemption will not exceed $30.0 million.

Capital expenditures for the fiscal 2012 third quarter were $16.3 million, of which $6.7 million related to new store openings, dual-branding and remodeling projects. For fiscal 2012, the Company expects capital expenditures to be between $55.0 million and $60.0 million.

As of November 7, 2011, the Company’s system-wide restaurant portfolio consisted of:

Conference Call Information

The Company will host its third quarter fiscal 2012 conference call on Wednesday, December 14, 2011, at 8:00 a.m. (PDT). The dial in information is as follows: (973) 500-2164 U.S. and international. The conference ID is 31999371.

A replay will be made available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the live event. The replay will be available for 7 days and can be accessed by calling (404) 537-3406. The conference ID is 31999371.

Company Overview

CKE Restaurants, Inc. is a privately held company headquartered in Carpinteria, Calif. As of the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company, through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,219 franchised, licensed or company-operated restaurants in 42 states and in 23 countries. For more information about CKE, please visit www.ckr.com.

Forward-looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements, including those relating to the Company’s expected capital expenditures, the Tender Offer and the Redemption (including the timing and amounts expended by the Company in connection with each), the timing of the Company’s earnings conference call and the filing of the Company’s periodic reports with the SEC, which are based on management’s current beliefs and assumptions. These statements constitute “forward looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that are often difficult to predict and beyond the Company’s control and which may cause results to differ materially from expectations. Factors that could cause the Company’s results to differ materially from those described include, but are not limited to, the Company’s ability to compete with other restaurants, supermarkets and convenience stores for customers, employees, restaurant locations and franchisees; changes in consumer preferences, perceptions and spending patterns; changes in food, packaging and supply costs; the ability of the Company’s key suppliers to continue to deliver premium-quality products to the Company at moderate prices; the Company’s ability to successfully enter new markets, complete construction of new restaurants and complete remodels of existing restaurants; changes in general economic conditions and the geographic concentration of the Company’s restaurants, which may affect the Company’s business; the Company’s ability to attract and retain key personnel; the Company’s franchisees’ willingness to participate in the Company’s strategy; the operational and financial success of the Company’s franchisees; the willingness of the Company’s vendors and service providers to supply goods and services pursuant to customary credit arrangements; risks associated with operating in international locations; the effect of the media’s reports regarding food-borne illnesses, food tampering and other health-related issues on the Company’s reputation and its ability to procure or sell food products; the seasonality of the Company’s operations; the effect of increasing labor costs including healthcare related costs; the Company’s ability to comply with existing and future health, employment, environmental and other government regulations; the Company’s ability to adequately protect its intellectual property; the potentially conflicting interests of the Company’s sole stockholder and the Company’s creditors, the Company’s substantial leverage which could limit its ability to raise capital, react to economic changes or meet obligations under its indebtedness; the effect of restrictive covenants in the Company’s indenture and credit facility on the Company’s business; and other factors as discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC.

You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Merger

As previously reported, on July 12, 2010, CKE Holdings, Inc., an affiliate of Apollo Management VII, L.P., acquired all of the outstanding shares of the Company (the “Merger”). All references to “Predecessor” relate to CKE and its consolidated subsidiaries for periods prior to the Merger and references to “Successor” relate to CKE and its consolidated subsidiaries for periods subsequent to the Merger.

Contact:
Beth Mansfield
Public Relations
(805) 745-7741
bmansfield@ckr.com

CKE RESTAURANTS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)

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CKE RESTAURANTS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)

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CKE RESTAURANTS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except shares and par values)
(Unaudited)

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Non-GAAP Measures

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR

Adjusted EBITDA represents income (loss) before income taxes, interest income and expense, asset impairments, facility action charges, depreciation and amortization, management fees, pro-forma cost savings as a result of becoming privately held, the effects of acquisition accounting adjustments, and certain non-cash and unusual items. The Company calculates Adjusted EBITDAR by adjusting Adjusted EBITDA to exclude the Company’s aggregate cash rent expense, less rental income from franchisees and third parties, subject to certain adjustments and exclusions.

Management uses Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR because it believes that they are important measures of operating performance. In particular, management considers Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR to be useful financial measures that highlight trends in the Company’s business and provide a comparable measure of profitability of similar enterprises. In addition, management believes that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR are effective, when used in conjunction with net loss or loss before income taxes, in evaluating asset performance, and differentiating efficient operators in the industry. Furthermore, management believes that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR provide useful information to potential investors and analysts because these measures provide insight into management’s evaluation of the Company’s results of operations. The calculations of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR may not be consistent with “EBITDA” and “EBITDAR” for the purpose of the covenants in the agreements governing the Company’s indebtedness.

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR are not measures of financial performance under U.S. GAAP, are not intended to represent cash flows from operations under U.S. GAAP and should not be used as alternatives to net loss, or loss before income taxes, as indicators of operating performance, or as alternatives to cash flow from operating, investing or financing activities as a measure of liquidity. Management compensates for the limitations of using Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR by using them only to supplement the Company’s U.S. GAAP results to provide a more complete understanding of the factors and trends affecting the Company’s business. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider these measures in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of the Company’s results as reported under U.S. GAAP.

Some of the limitations of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR are:

While Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR are frequently used as measures of operations and the ability to meet indebtedness service requirements, these measures as calculated by the Company are not necessarily directly comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation.

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Company-Operated Restaurant-Level Non-GAAP Measures

Company-operated restaurant-level adjusted EBITDA is expressed in dollars and defined as company-operated restaurants revenue less restaurant operating costs excluding depreciation and amortization expense and including advertising expense. Restaurant operating costs are the expenses incurred directly by company-operated restaurants in generating revenues and do not include advertising costs, general and administrative expenses or facility action charges. Company-operated restaurant-level adjusted EBITDA margin is expressed as a percentage and defined as company-operated restaurant-level adjusted EBITDA divided by company-operated restaurants revenue.

Company-operated restaurant-level adjusted EBITDA and company-operated restaurant-level adjusted EBITDA margin are non-GAAP measures utilized by management internally to evaluate and compare the Company’s operating performance for company-operated restaurants between periods. In addition, management believes that these financial measures provide useful information to potential investors and analysts because they provide insight into management’s evaluation of the Company’s results of operations. These non-GAAP measures should be viewed in addition to, and not in lieu of, the comparable GAAP measures. These non-GAAP measures have certain limitations including the following:

The following is a reconciliation of company-operated restaurant-level adjusted EBITDA and company-operated restaurant-level adjusted EBITDA margin (unaudited):

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