Photo: Hardee'sMonster Thickburger
The burger that became a symbol of American excess. Two thick Angus patties, strips of bacon, several slices of cheese and mayo, and absolutely nothing green to pretend otherwise. It is enormous, salty and unapologetic, and most people who order it are doing so at least partly to say they did. Share it, or clear the afternoon.
The story
When Hardee’s launched the Monster Thickburger in 2004, it made no attempt to hide what it was: the chain itself pitched it as a “monument to decadence”. Nutrition critics were appalled, the outrage turned into free publicity, sales were strong, and the burger has stayed on the menu for two decades as the chain’s most talked-about item.
What’s inside
Make it at home
There is no copycat of the Monster Thickburger yet. Until there is, these recipes on the site come closest to it, judged by what goes into the bun.
- Shares beef, bacon, cheese and a double stack
Peter’s Triple Bacon Burger - Shares beef, bacon and cheese
Cheeseburger Wellington - Shares beef, bacon and cheese
Jelly Doughnut Burger - Shares beef, bacon and cheese
Elvis Luther Burger
Similar burgers at other chains
Built around the same things as the Monster Thickburger.- Hundred Burgers · beef, bacon, cheese and a double stack
SignatureSatisfaction - BDP Burger · beef, bacon, cheese and a double stack
Bacon Cheese Burger - Five Guys · beef, bacon, cheese and a double stack
SignatureBacon Cheeseburger - Wendy's · beef, bacon, cheese and a double stack
SignatureBaconator
More from Hardee's
About Hardee's
Wilber Hardee opened his first restaurant in Greenville, North Carolina, in 1960, and Hardee’s became a Southern institution largely thanks to something it started making in 1977: biscuits made from scratch every morning. In 1997 it was bought by the company behind Carl’s Jr., so the two chains share a star logo and several burgers, but Hardee’s has kept its own, more family-friendly personality.
Across the American Southeast and Midwest, plus hundreds of restaurants in the Middle East and Asia.
Not affiliated with Hardee's. Trademarks belong to their owners. The photo is credited under it and is used to illustrate this menu item; it comes down on request.