Carl's Jr. testing foot-long cheeseburgers

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FAIRFAX, Va., July 16 (UPI) -- A fast food chain that gave America the 1,400 calorie Monster Burger says it is introducing a new foot-long cheeseburger with three patties and cheese slices.

Carl's Jr. restaurants in Southern California and Hardee's in Indiana are testing the new foot-long burger that weights in at 850 calories with 20 grams of saturated fat, USA Today reported Friday.

If it's a hit in testing, it could be sold at the sister chains' outlets nationwide within three to six months, Carl's Jr. marketing chief Brad Haley says.

The foot-long item joins similar offerings from other fast-food chains like Subway, Sonic and Quiznos, an industry analyst says.

"We live in a society that's fascinated with all things big," says Scott Hume, editor of BurgerBusiness.com, an industry trade site. "It's inherently American to push for something bigger and better than anyone else has."

The new offering from Carl's Jr. is clearly a response to the wild success of Subway's $5 sub sandwiches, Hume said.

"Subway is taking 'share of stomach' from the burger places, too," Hume says.

Carl's Jr. is eager to aim the new sandwich at its core customers, young men ages 18 to 24.

"Obviously, the foot-long sandwich has been very successful at Subway," Haley said. "But we decided to do it the Carl's way."