Carl's Jr And Hardee's New Sandwich Is Just In Time For Lent

If you observe the Catholic tradition of not eating meat during the Lenten season leading up to Easter (or at least on Fridays), then chances are you know fast food options pretty much mean one thing. Of course there's french fries, side salads, and soft drinks, but as far as entrees go, you're really looking at fish sandwiches. Carl's Jr. and its East Coast equivalent Hardee's isn't exactly known for anything other than charbroiled burgers, but it seems the chain wants to change that.

This year, lent takes place March 2 through April 16, and that's precisely when Carl's Jr. and Hardee's is rolling out a limited time menu item. Chew Boom reports it's not another variation of the popular charbroiled burgers, but rather a seasonally appropriate Panko-Breaded Pollock Sandwich. The new fish sandwich is available at locations across the U.S. for $3.29 at Carl's Jr. and $2.99 at Hardees, or as part of a two for $5 deal at participating locations of both. The only apparent difference between the two (aside from the price) is that the Hardee's sandwich has green leaf lettuce and a sesame seed bun, while Carl's Jr.'s uses shredded lettuce and a regular bun.

Judging by the past, it's safe to say Carl's Jr. and Hardee's Panko-Breaded Pollock Sandwich probably won't stay at the fast food chains beyond its scheduled run through April 19. When Carl's Jr. announced on its Facebook page back in February 2021 that it was temporarily bringing back a Beer Battered Fish Sandwich, only a handful of the commenters expressed excitement. Twitter users are even less impressed, with one recently comparing its taste to "pre-made fish sticks."

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's has been offering that same Beer Battered Fish Sandwich on a seasonal basis since 2015 and apparently every year since then, so evidently it sells well enough to keep coming back, but only during lent. Of course the 2022 version is slightly different in that the fish is panko-breaded instead of beer battered, and it specifically uses pollock, so perhaps customers will have a better opinion of it and it will have more staying power. For now though, the new sandwich will only be available for a little over a month.