LOS ANGELES, March 10, 2004 -- The Los Angeles Lakers are teaming up with Carl's Jr. to offer fans a chance to purchase Lakers bobblehead dolls, featuring -- in order of in-store availability -- Gary Payton, Rick Fox, Derek Fisher, Devean George and Karl Malone. Starting March 10th, a limited edition of Lakers bobbleheads will be sold at Carl's Jr. restaurants in the greater Los Angeles area for only $4.99 each, with the purchase of any adult combo meal. Each Wednesday, a bobblehead doll representing a different player will be made available, replacing the previous week's player.

"We are excited about the debut of Carl's Jr. / Lakers bobbleheads. In past years, our Carl's Jr. bobbleheads have been met with a frenzy of excitement as fans lined up to grab a piece of sports history," said Renae Scott, director of regional marketing for Carl's Jr. "This is a rare opportunity for fans to get an official, unique set of bobbleheads featuring some of their favorite Lakers. Carl's Jr. is thrilled to offer this exclusive premium to our guests with the purchase of any adult combo meal."

The bobblehead set will be introduced on five consecutive Wednesdays exclusively at Carl's Jr., starting with the release of the Gary Payton bobblehead with a free collector's stand on March 10th. The other seven inch dolls in the set will become available on succeeding Wednesdays. In order (following Gary Payton), they are Rick Fox (March 17), Derek Fisher (March 24), Devean George (March 31) and Karl Malone (April 7). The bobbleheads will be available until April 13th, coinciding with the start of the NBA playoffs, or until supplies run out.

The limited, complete set of Carl's Jr. / Lakers bobbleheads will be available at most Carl's Jr. locations in the greater Los Angeles area.

"We believe these collectibles will be a slam dunk with Lakers fans," said Ron Rockoff, executive director of corporate sponsorships for the Los Angeles Lakers. "We are excited to partner once again with Carl's Jr. to give our fans a chance to show their support for the team and these players, while enjoying delicious burgers from Carl's Jr."

Carl's Jr. has successfully sold dolls in previous years with promotions tied to the San Francisco Giants, Sacramento Kings, St. Louis Rams and the Colorado Avalanche. Bobblehead dolls were first produced in the early 1900s and were popularized with dolls of well-known political figures and pop icons. During the past few years, the newly produced sports figure bobbleheads have gained value as collectibles, attracting bids of over $150 on Internet auction sites.

For more information, pictures of the Bobbleheads and a list of the Carl's Jr. restaurants participating in the promotion, visit the Los Angeles Lakers Web site at http://www.nba.com/lakers.

Carl's Jr. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CKE Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: CKR) of Carpinteria, California. As of the third quarter of fiscal 2004, ended November 3, 2003, CKE Restaurants, through its subsidiaries, franchisees and licensees, operated 3,284 restaurants in 44 states and in 14 countries, including 1,003 Carl's Jr. restaurants, 2,134 Hardee's(R) restaurants and 100 La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill(R) restaurants. For more information, go to www.ckr.com or www.carlsjr.com.