The First Carl’s Jr Location - Southern California Hamburger Review & Fast Food History in Anaheim
A visit to the first Carl's Jr location , started in Anaheim California.
Transcript
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welcome everyone out of the whoo here
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today number 20 of this current series
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where I focus on Southern California
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eating establishments today's subject
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matter and where I will be consuming a
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meal is a place known across the country
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with well over a thousand locations but
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it began just down the road in Anaheim
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I'm inviting you to join me show you got
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extra camera batteries other accessories
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and heading out your right big the foot
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we are in route to some fast food
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district it's right here on the corner
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of what is now Harbor Boulevard and
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coral carts your way where that star can
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be seen
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from way back in the day when Carl first
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opened his barbecue restaurant which is
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just about 20 yards behind where I'm
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standing it was in the mid 1940s with
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him and his wife Margaret who were
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residing up in Los Angeles and had
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started a few hotdog stands moved out
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here to Anaheim and opened a new
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business with a bigger storefront a
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bigger restaurant area right over there
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we didn't that what is now more or less
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a strip mall with other other
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restaurants and food eating
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establishments fast forward a bit to
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1950 just a few years later started
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serving hamburgers for the first time in
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that barbecue location which was right
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in front of me
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and to this day modern-day the flagship
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store is right over there just you can
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see you'll see the sign peeking up more
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or less on the same block in the same
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general vicinity all of this history and
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locations at least the barbecue spot
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from where the flagships flagship store
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now says I will be getting my takeout
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from there but wanted to show
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where that original spot stood right
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here on this corner it was in 56 that he
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decided I should just have a burger
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place not barbecue but a separate spot
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and I'll not call it Carl's - but Carl's
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jr. and that logo has managed to stand
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the test of time its kind of morphed a
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little bit but it's always been the star
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even before the jr. came into play when
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the original and the barbecue shop they
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still have the star I've got some
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streamers up the signage states that
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they are having a grand reopening to see
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some of the markers out this has been
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remodeled considerably this is all also
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one of the older buildings not the first
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but one of the older ones and it's
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considered you know it's considered the
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main one now out of all of them but
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we're gonna go to the first it still
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stands as well now this is stating 1941
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so I had heard mid 40s but I guess 41 is
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what they're officially designating as
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the starting point placed and received
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my order I'm guessing the 1941 date
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stamp is based on when the hotdog stands
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first opened in LA which basically would
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be the start of the company but not when
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the 1945 barbecue restaurant opened and
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even though it just went through a vast
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remodel they still have the placard here
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with the information Carl Karcher
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enterprises had its beginning on July 17
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1941 when Carl and Margaret Karcher
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purchased a hotdog cart in Los Angeles
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for three hundred twenty six dollars On
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January 16th of 45 the young couple open
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Carl's drive-in BBQ at the corner of
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Romney ax and palm later Hall later
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Harbor Boulevard
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Harbor Boulevard was called Palm
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Boulevard back then in 1956 the
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restaurant moved across to its permanent
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location where it has operated under
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different themes and names since however
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there still is the first Carl's jr.
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which is not on the spot just down the
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road a bit it is a little bit tricky
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this address shows the Carl's jr. which
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was not the first Carl's jr. but
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signifies the barbecue spot which was in
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the next parking lot over however the
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official first Carl's jr. as I was as I
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was mentioning it's just down the way
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not at this address
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about a mile or so I'm gonna go there
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now and eat my meal just to make it a
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little more confusing they are showing
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the Carl Karcher way but then Romney ax
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Drive is on the opposite opposite spot
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from the signage okay here's something
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interesting the address I found for what
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was the original barbecue spot was at
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11:08
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which means it might not have sat on
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this corner but in fact on that corner
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right over there it's a good possibility
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don't fret we'll be there in a couple
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seconds
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it's tempted having that bag right there
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it's on the dash arrived at the cross
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streets of Lincoln Ave and rest
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resh ar e SH Street I mentioned that
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because it's just about the closest
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coordinates to up here where I'm gonna
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be eating st. Boniface the church
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building which used to be on Jan Street
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J ANS s was this and now the church
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property owns it and also happens to
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have the very first building and spot
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that was designated the name Carl's jr.
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right there still looks like that the
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old timey buildings that met
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look at that and this is as close as I
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can get but also what we're dealing with
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I opted for a water instead of a soda
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and no fries just a burger the big Carl
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maybe it was called the double Carl I
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had Carl in the name on the menu
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it is a Carl item I figured kind of
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having a win in row moment you should
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get the Carl at a spot started by the
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gentleman named Carl at his first Carl's
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jr. building which just so happens to be
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right there
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hey tight quarters here I found a spot
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to perch my tripod up on building right
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there and see it with my own eyes right
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next to the thoroughfare
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the logo right there and all the cheese
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is sticking to the packaging go for full
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football a little bit of lettuce
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I see the double patty I see some cheese
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oh yeah that's a good chunk of lettuce
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doesn't appear yeah just basically
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cheese lettuce and bread Oh a secret
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secret little sauce up there yep we got
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a little secret sauce action under the
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shade of these branches maybe to me a
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little too close to those leaves go on
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at the Carl
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how many people have stood here and ate
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a Carl's jr. burger in front of the
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original facade it has to be can be
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counted on probably less than two hands
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the lettuce is very crunchy the title on
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the side of the door there says Bethany
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Hall they are now using this as
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an external part of the church is now
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Bethany Hall
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no matter if they've had any kind of
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fellowship meals any luncheons in there
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harkening back to the days when so many
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people were made happy by getting a
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burger maybe
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I really do love if it still exists get
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all the woodwork up there
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anis these walls could talk there was
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plenty of happy customers back in the
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day I know I enjoyed my meal standing in
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front of it as I made it back to my car
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I noticed there is another one here on
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this corner
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now home of the green burrito that's
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gonna do it for today if you're new here
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