• by Teresa Buyikian , March 7, 2025

Four months after the departure of former CEO Max Wetzel for Tropical Smoothie Café, CKE has tapped a new permanent head of the company.

This week the Franklin, Tennessee-based parent of both Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s announced it has appointed Joe Guith as CEO, effective immediately. Sarah Spiegel, CKE board member, has been serving as the company’s interim CEO since Nov. 2024.

Guith joins CKE most recently from serving as CEO of Church's Texas Chicken. He'd held that position since 2022, spearheading a repositioning of the brand and boosting in-unit-level profitability, sales and traffic growth, according to the release.

“Joe brings a blend of industry expertise and visionary leadership that perfectly aligns with our goals for Carl's Jr. and Hardee's,” commented Spiegel in the announcement.

Prior to CKE, Guith spent eight years at GoTo Foods (formerly Focus Brands). While there he held the positions of category president for McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s and Schlotzky’s, president of McAlister’s Deli, and president and COO of Cinnabon.

Earlier in his career, Guith also spent time at Yum Brands on KFC and at the Coca-Cola Company. 

According to the most recent data from foodservice insights firm Technomic, Hardee’s sales were down 4.7% from 2018 through 2023, with Carl’s reporting a sales increase of 16% during the same period. Together Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants have more than 3,600 franchised or company-operated restaurants in the U.S. and in 35 international markets and U.S. territories.