In 2006 Carl Hunter wrote an Op/Ed column entitled “Hardee’s disappoints 1:00 a.m. crowd.” The article damned Hardee’s for closing its lobby doors at 12 a.m. and not accepting walk-up orders at its drive-through windows; unless you had a car—drunk or sober—you weren’t going to be served after midnight. Mr. Hunter’s column struck a chord with students, who know that most students are oftentimes awake far past the new closing time. Students stopped going, and soon, Hardee’s was losing thousands of dollars a week in business.
I’m pleased to say, new management, new approaches, and new ideas have changed all that. Having been turned away at McDonalds (they close at midnight, as Hardee’s used to do), I decided to give Hardee’s one last chance, thinking, “it’s on the way home after all.” Entering, I had hardly recovered from my surprise at the door being unlocked when I was greeted and asked what I’d like to order.
So far, so good; but there’s more to tell. By chance, I bumped into the new general manager, Mickey Attenberger, while I was waiting for my meal. I told him how surprised I was that the lobby was open, nearly an hour past its much-lamented closing time. He confirmed that this was a recent change, and that, thanks to him, Hardee’s was going to be open 24-hours, 7 days-a-week. What’s more, he mentioned that if I wanted, I was welcome to stay and study, maybe surf the net via their new, free Wi-Fi. Three times I was offered the complimentary code which would let me log on, first by the manager, then the cashier, then the cook—all of whom were polite, friendly, and helpful.
Interestingly enough, I was told that, next time, I should show my student ID, as I would then only have to pay for a hamburger (what amounts to three or four dollars), and they’d give me a drink (free refills!) and a fry (curly OR regular) for free. All this, and for less than a slice of pie at Perkins. And these changes are but a few among many. The vagrants, bums, drunks, and crazies that used to reside at the fast-food joint are fewer and farther in between. The restaurant itself is much cleaner, brighter, and more inviting.
So why all these modifications and improvements? Because out of displeasure, distaste, or disappointment, the students stopped showing up. And it all started with a little Winonan article. I guess all that remains to be said is, “Thanks, Carl Hunter, you got our Hardee’s back.”