Carl's Jr. is a chain of fast food restaurants located mostly on the West Coast of the United States. It was started by Carl Karcher and is owned by CKE Restaurants.

Karcher got his start in the food industry by owning several hot dog stands in Los Angeles. In 1945, Karcher started a restaurant in Anaheim called Carl's Drive-In Barbeque. In 1956, Karcher opened the first two Carl's Jr's, so named because they were a junior version of his drive-in restaurant. The restaurant chain was characterized by its fast service and its logo, a bright yellow five pointed star.

Carl's Jr. quickly expanded, and currently has over 1000 locations in 13 US states, as well as in Mexico, Guam and the Philippines. Featured food items include the Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger and the Six Dollar Burger, so called because it is allegedly of the same quality of a burger one would pay six dollars for in a sit-down restaurant.

In 1997, CKE Restaurants acquired Hardee's, a restaurant chain with 2500 locations on the east coast. Over time, Hardee's restaurants were converted to be more like Carl's Jr, even adopting the same star logo.