CORNELIUS , N.C. – Cornelius-based Hardee's franchisee, Restaurant Management Group (RMG), has earned top honors for operational excellence among the category of larger Hardee's franchise restaurants, Hardee's Food Systems, Inc. announced today.

RMG was ranked tops among franchisees who own 21 or more restaurants, based on the company's performance during 2004. The awards were presented at the company's annual franchisee convention in Las Vegas.

In addition, the company was cited for the highest average unit sales volume in franchisee sales in the large franchisee category. RMG owns 47 Hardee's in the eastern region of the United States, located in and around the Tri-Cities region of Virginia and Tennessee, as well as in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. More than half of all 2,034 Hardee's restaurants in the United States are franchises.

“There is a lot of momentum with the Hardee's brand right now and many franchisees are doing a great job and experienced good results in 2004," said Lee Staak, president of the Independent Hardee's Franchisee Association (IHFA) about today's announcement. “We're glad to see this recognition of a good job.” Staak is a Hardee's franchisee operating several Hardee's restaurants in Iowa and was a winner for marketing activities for his restaurants.

The IHFA is a member association that represents more than 95 percent of all Hardee's franchise restaurants in the U.S. which produce more than $1 billion in annual sales. For more information, go to www.ihfa.com.