National Clothesline

A fast-food chain that encourages customers to make a mess while eating their cheeseburgers has been working with the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute to encourage those customers to seek “professional help” from drycleaners to clean up the mess.

Carl’s Jr., a chain of about 1,100 stores operating along the West Coast and throughout the southwestern United States, makes light of the difficulty of eating their burgers without spillage in its commercials. Carl’s Jr. burger-eaters are depicted as blissfully ignorant of the mess they are making while eating the drippy concoctions.

The campaign for its chili cheeseburger and fries was introduced with a press announcement that said the menu addition was “sure to please hungry customers who crave a little mess in their lives, and drycleaners across the country are also thrilled with the menu additions.”

The chain sought the endorsement of the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute for a cross marketing campaign in which drycleaners were offered window decals, poly and coupons they could give to customers.

The advertising material urged customers to enjoy the mess of the chili cheesburger and fries and then “See us after you indulge.”

“It’s fun, it’s lighthearted, and it’s a positive image — something,” DLI said. ”The visual and audio reinforcement of DLI cleaners as the ones to trust when you need stains removed is hard to beat. For DLI and its member cleaners, it’s a win all the way around.”

A Carl’s Jr. press release touted DLI’s endorsement.

“To get chili stains out of that favorite cotton T-shirt or jeans, the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute recommends wiping off the excess chili and cheese, and using a laundry pre-spotter before washing” the company said. “And if you’re on-the-go and make a mess in the car, they suggest scraping it off and spot-treating using an upholstery cleaner. But for that great silk tie or fine linen blouse, get it into the hands of your DLI drycleaner right away for the TLC it’s going to need.”

“To paraphrase the old adage, when it comes to eating a chili cheeseburger, drip happens,” said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Carl’s Jr. restaurants “And, as one of our advertising campaigns once proudly proclaimed, ‘If it doesn’t get all over the place, it doesn’t belong in your face,’ so it’s no surprise that the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute supports our efforts.”