Carl's Jr.UPDATE: Andy Puzder tells E! News, "I'd like to apologize to Kim and clarify my remarks. At the time we were looking to cast our newest hamburger commercial, Kim, our top pick, was going low-carb and couldn't eat the burger on the bun. However, she was perfect for the new salads we were introducing, so we hired her for that now iconic campaign instead. We love Kim, she was an absolute joy to work with, and we wouldn't hesitate to work with her again."
Well, this has left a bad taste in our mouths.
Carl's Jr. and Hardee's CEO Andy Puzder recently opened up about his company's eyebrow raising ads, which have made numerous headlines over the years thanks to the fast food chain's decision to feature scantily clad models chowing down on big, juicy burgers.
But while the ads, according to Puzder, have increased the company's sales, the commercials have also caused a great deal of backlash, although it doesn't seem to bother the 64-year-old businessman.
"They'll send out an email blast. I won't name the organization, but there are a couple organizations that do that," he said in a recent interview when asked if he receives a lot of complaints before pointing out that the controversy is good for business, "If you guys don't do an email blast with one of our ads, I run into the head of marketing and say, `What's the matter with the ad?'"
Puzder also shares why he believes that being a burger-eatin' model isn't for everyone and claims that properly taking a bite out of a burger is, in fact, a skill.
"You really need to be able to eat the burger like you're loving it. We don't want somebody that's going to go out there and say, 'Well, I don't eat burgers,'" he says. "You really have to go at it. You really have to attack it."
Asked whether there has even been a problem with that in the past, the CEO pointed to Kim Kardashian, who starred in a Carl's Jr. commercial back in 2010.
"We used Kim Kardashian in an ad. But Kim really couldn't eat the burgers. Luckily, we had a salad we were promoting, so we used Kim in the salad ad. But if we had not been promoting a salad, we probably never would've done an ad with Kim, because she wasn't good at eating the burger. She's too tiny. She's really little," he claims (the interview also states that Kim's rep disputed the account and said a salad was chosen because the E! star had a fitness DVD at the time).
So, how do they pick the sexy face of Carl's Jr.?
"We have a history of picking these young women before they hit their peak," he explains (past ads featured Kate Upton, Padma Lakshmi, Hannah Davis, Nina Agdal, Charlotte McKinney and Paris Hilton). "We put Kate Upton in an ad a month before she got the cover for Sports Illustrated. At the time we picked her, we just said, "This is a beautiful woman.' We just did an ad with Charlotte McKinney, which kind of created Charlotte McKinney."
He later adds that the model they pick "depends on a lot of interlocking factors, and what products we're promoting" but admits their ads are geared towards young men.
"Some of it may be age relevant," he says of the criteria for being a Carl's Jr. model. "Although, Heidi Klum is no spring chicken."
Anyone else thinking of going vegetarian?