I love Hardees. Of every single fast food restaurant I blog about in the course of Eating Badly, Hardees is the all-time winner as the “worst” fast food place, thanks to their wanton disregard for any sort of dignity that a company might try to cultivate.

That’s what makes them so delightful, so wonderful in this world. While the McDonald-type chains out there attempt to cater to healthier-eating markets and highlight ways to eat their food without dying, Hardees is the grizzled anti-hero who just…doesn’t…care. Hardees is Han Solo (a much fatter version) saying “Look, I ain’t in this for your revolution, and I’m not in it for you, Princess.” They gleefully ignore any of the malice that gets tossed their way with smiling faces, DARING anyone to be offended or stop buying the food. And they know that their customers aren’t about to stop, so they continually seek out new ways to up the ante.

And that’s why Hardees is always the one to make these kinds of headlines, because the company motto appears to be “Why the hell not?” And so, if you go into a Hardees right now and order a Southwest Patty Melt combo, they’ll throw in a free Oreo ice cream sandwich. Because really, why the hell not.