Hardee's Targets Eagan As Part of Substantial Metro Expansion

When Hardee's announced plans earlier this month to build as many as 59 new locations around the Twin Cities in the next five years, there was still a lot of mystery over where those restaurants would be built.

That question appears to have been answered, as City Pages secured a map of planned homes for the burger joints. Local carnivores can breathe a sigh of relief; one of the sites Hardees is targeting for a new location is along Yankee Doodle Road in Eagan.

Jim Sullivan, head of franchise development with CKE Restaurants, told City Pages the tentative locations—59 in total—all have high traffic counts, populations in the 40,000 range, good site visibility and drive-thru access.

Michael Sawyer, CKE's market planning manager, said the locations aren't guaranteed to eventually house Hardee's restaurants, but said the preliminary sites will serve as "reference points."

"Somewhere in this area, we feel there's the right stuff to make a successful Hardee's," Sawyer said.

There are presently 21 Hardee's locations sprinkled throughout the Twin Cities area, according to City Pages, but the closest location to Eagan is currently along Hamline Avenue in St. Paul.