Going for the Dough: Three Carl’s Jr....

Going for the Dough: Three Carl’s Jr. outlets in Orange County are featuring take-home pizzas to boost their dinner trade.

The restaurants are selling the 14-inch pizzas after 4 p.m. to see if customers can accept the idea that Carl’s can turn out pizza as good as the neighborhood Italian place down the street.

Don’t expect to see any dough flying, though. While the ingredients are fresh, the crusts are partially pre-baked so that the pizzas can be made faster.

“We believe that pizza has exciting possibilities for the Carl’s Jr. dinner menu,” Parks said. Just how exciting is hard to tell: The pilot pizza item has not been advertised except for flyers the company has circulated in the neighborhoods that Carl’s serves.

The Carl’s Jr. outlets offering pizza are on East Chapman Avenue in Orange, Katella Avenue in Cypress and South El Camino Real in San Clemente.

What’s next?

For Carl’s Jr.’s 50th anniversary celebration next year, look for the installation of hot dog carts at all of its 559 restaurants. The hot dog--the basic version will sell for $1.89--holds quite a bit of nostalgia for the Carl’s Jr. gang. Carl Karcher got his start when he bought a hot dog cart in the early 1940s.

The anniversary gala next July will feature a banquet at a major Anaheim hotel, the company says. To honor Karcher, who was selling burgers long before McDonald’s mixed its first shake, Carl Karcher Enterprises is inviting a who’s who list of fast-food industry luminaries, such as Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas.