Hardee's, Durham, North Carolina Restaurant Details

Food:

The prices keep creeping up but still great burgers for fast food. Def like to keep going there. Service was a little slow but not terrible.

Food:

This restaurant does not honor price displayed on price board! Management totally ignored the situation.... Worst place to ever spend your hard earned money!

Food:

Just waited in the drive thru 20 mins. (No exaggeration) It's not the fact of how long I waited it is simply that when I got to the window I felt at minimum an apology was in order. Maybe even not charge me for the 1/2 gallon of tea I got. All I ordered with the tea was one burger. 20 mins, no apology, no freebies offered and the burger was cold and gross. Never going back.

Food:

Only thing I have to complain about this place is, once again, you have to pay for condements! Since when did ketchup, bbq, honey mustard, ect. become items you have to pay for??

Food:

I have long believed that the health of the economy is inversely proportional to the quality of service in fast food restaurants. When the economy is good, service truly sucks because they are forced to hire the dregs of the labor pool. When the economy is bad they can be more selective and the help they hire is more motivated to do a good job . If there is a silver lining to a recession is that it does make individuals and companies focus harder on finding and satisfying customers.

Amateur economist that I am, I formulated this hypothesis several years ago when the two worst fast food places I have ever encountered where within a mile of each other and also happened to be the two most convenient to me when I was renovating my kitchen and eating a lot of fast food. The first was the McDonalds at the convergence of Chapel Hill Blvd and University Drive. It was dirty, the help appeared to be not only indifferent but probably illiterate and possibly larcenous. One time, needing a quick breakfast sandwich, I went through the drive thru. The voice coming through the speaker was polite and knowledgble. I was so stunned that I paid at the first window and drove away without my sausage biscuit. But that was very unusual. The inevitible finally happened and they closed in spite of what had to be considered great area demographics. Just west of the McDonalds was a Hardees that ran a close second in awfulness. I hadn't been in years but decided to try them again when the chain introduced Thickburgers. Thickburgers are actually very tasty especially if you want to get two days worth of calories in one meal. But I vowed never again after getting stuck in their drive thru for 20 minutes one evening when I was very hungry and tired. And I do mean stuck...no way to even get out of the line until somebody up ahead moves.

But here's the happy ending to that story. I really don't know if it's the result of current economic pressure or some enlightened manager. Hardees is one of the few national franchises to serve hot dogs. I had about a half hour to kill one afternoon before an appointment and it was lunch time and a couple of hot dogs just seemed like something that would hit the spot. The parking lot at Hardees was nearly vacant which I didn't take as a good sign. But everything else was a big surprise. I was greeted as soon as I walked in the door, assured that they still had hot dogs (strangely they aren't on the menu on the wall). I ordered two and this same pleasant person suggested I try the onion rings instead of the fries. She then asked if I would be dining in or carrying out. "Dining in!" I thought in surprise, accoustomed as I had become to the perfunctory "ear or ta-go?" I did intend to dine in and they handed me a little plastic numbered tent card...not as cute as the puppy pictures at Nosh, but adaquate. She politely tried to up-sell me to a large drink and shared with me where the drink machine was. I responded that the regular size was fine but enthusiastiastically remarked, "You're good!" She smiled shyly. She was happy to get the compliment but she already knew it. A few minutes later the meal was on my table. A little later a very small man came by and pleasantly asked if he could remove the empty food basket and refill my drink. So, the food was good...the beer battered onion rings are really much better than what is offered at Burger King and compare favorably to those served right around the corner at the Q-Shack. The hot dogs are large and grilled and the buns are toasted and they come with chili, mustard and fresh onions and for a few pennies more a nice cole slaw. The store was very clean and although the decor was standard Hardees it seemed light and cheerful...and empty. It obviously hasn't been rediscovered yet except by passionate hot dog lovers like me.

Jay Zenner