Carl’s Jr.

I usually avoid chain fast food joints, so I had really low expectations coming here, but I was pleasantly surprised.
I got the ¹⁄₃ lb Tex Mex Bacon Burger with a side of small fries and small drink.
The Tex Mex burger was actually really good! Tender and juicy on the inside, the patty was perfectly charbroiled. The fire roasted bell peppers still had a fresh crunch to them. The jalapeño very barely mildly spicy which is excellent because I can’t handle most levels of spiciness.
The fries were wilted and fried a bit beyond the optimal golden coloration to a slightly darker hue, but edible.
I wish they offered healthier fountain drink options other than water. That small drink was way more volume than I expected. Can’t imagine anyone needing a large.

Oh good lord. I’m sorry if you’re reading this, because it probably means that you’re considering patronizing this particular Carl’s Jr. location at UCLA, and for some reason instead of just going for it, you’re being indecisive and double-​checking if it’s good or not. You poor, poor soul.
Well, I’m not entirely proud to say that I’ve probably eaten here like at least over ten times, and pretty much every time by choice. It started off so innocent /​she had a vibe and a Unilocala started diggin’ it /​I was a youngin’ straight crushin’ tryna play this stuff cool…
Do you like J. Cole? Do you like the song Wet Dreamz? If you answered no to either of those, you now hate me for that horrific parody.
Anyways, what I was trying to convey is that I actually did enjoy going to this Carl’s Jr. the first few times I came here. And truthfully, every time before I order, I am a little excited. I get the same butterflies I get before any delicious meal.
But then reality settles in. I’m only eating there because it’s relatively cheap. I only ever get the Superstar combo at $ 5.50 or the spicy chicken sandwich at $ 1.49. I’m not really there to get the most amazing meal in the universe. I’m there because I’m being a cheapo college student who didn’t make his lunch the night before.
Inevitably, the meal makes you feel horrible. You realize that the quality isn’t that great and that you’re just ingesting a ton of fat at once. The mayonnaise just kind of is being lukewarm and instantly makes you question existence at all. You are not J. Cole. You are eating Carl’s Jr. at your campus’s student union. Again. At 10 P.M., because it’s open that late and nothing else on campus is.
Wow.
But hey, Carl’s Jr. is always there. Waiting. Smiling. Holding its little arms out. That same cashier who’s always nice to you and makes you feel good is always there. The awesome huge screen in the dining area showing what’s hot on TV at the moment – usually sports – is firing away. The app on your phone that gives you points and discounts when you check in makes it feel like you’re getting a steal.
You don’t know why, but you always go back to it. Tough test? You find yourself at Carl’s. Contracted a common cold? Carl’s. Graduated? Carl’s.
I try to avoid this place if I can, but I can’t deny that I end up here. And likely, you will too. Because it’s Carl’s.
It’s a Carl’s World.

The service here is exceptionally terrible. The employees have no regard towards their customers and it is seldom my order is not screwed up in some way.

This place has saved my poor hungry soul many times!
Conveniently located in Ackerman Union, Carl’s Jr is always waiting for you. You just have to let it know your stomach is ready. On many occasions, this place is, of course, not the first place that comes to mind for food. But it is definitely one that is useful to have in your arsenal because of its great value and its late hours.
I’ve tried the bacon cheeseburger, a hearty mess of «I don’t want to know what I’m digesting.» There is also the constant contender, the teriyaki burger, always packing a one-​two with its sweet pineapple and its savory patty. Finally, I often get the spicy chicken sandwich. Just over a dollar, this little guy will kill that hunger and give your taste buds a kick while keeping your wallet happy. I don’t know how many times I’ve wandered here from Powell late at night around 12 to get some motivation to keep studying.
Also if you are planning on becoming a regular, definitely check out the Carl’s Jr app. They give you great deals for checking in!
Although this place isn’t the fanciest of foods in Ackerman Union, it’s still conveniently located to satiate that in-​between class hunger with your wallet in mind.

They are so slow and inefficient. They should seriously consider staffing more people especially during lunch hours when they know they will be busy. There’s no point in having 4 cash registers if you only use 1 or 2 at a time.

I downloaded the Carl’s Jr app for my iPhone and have been checking in whenever I’m nearby. After 10 check ins, I get a free burger, so it’s well worth it to me!

I can always see this smily face on campus! Bacon burger combo was great, but you need to disregard the nutrition info:(fries was good! I can always eat them all!

Food is amazing, employee amazing. but the supervisor and manager have really rude attitude!

Don’t eat here. You will get sick!
Best to go upstairs to Panda or Sbarro.
Had a sandwich and ended up with upset stomach.

A convenient and quick lunch stop in ackerman union. They accept credit, debit (has transaction fee), cash, and even bruincard, which i must say is quite a plus. However, pricewise, the burgers aren’t so cheap here compared to other fast food places. The quality is also an issue, with it either being a hit or miss at times.

Good sweet potato fries.
Very non-​delicious chicken salad. Cheap though. I’d rather they don’t put the chicken there.

Our of all the fast food burger chains, Carl’s Jr is actually one of my favorite places. Compared to other burger chains (McDonald’s, Burger King, In-​n-​Out, Wendy’s, Jack-​in-​the-​Box, etc.), Carl’s Jr has the thickest beef patty among all of them.
«Where’s the beef?» Well, it’s not at Wendy’s but at Carl’s Jr.

What would I do without this place and a huge stack of coupons? This place was my lifeblood. Westerns became a staple of my diet. Gets pretty hectic at lunch hours, but I always go there when it is about to close since I am always doing something on campus anyway. It is pretty annoying to actually pay with debit cards since they secretly charge you something like $ 0.50 -$ 1 extra. Have to say that this place isn’t the healthiest, but how many engineers are that health conscious? Waking up for breakfast has been a huge challenge for me, but it is really worth it. The loaded biscuits, burritos, and the breakfast sandwich are really good. They really need to serve these ²⁴⁄₇ since I want to eat them after 10:30 AM.

One of my favorite, favorite spots to stop by and grab lunch at UCLA! They always have very fresh ingredients. the salads are always crisp, and their menu choices are plentiful and satisfying. They have healthier options such as salads with grilled chicken and light balsamic vinegar. Also, they can make your hamburger protein style (wrapped in lettuce) for no cost. The prices are well fit for the student budget and the food is tasty – sounds great to me!
Oh! and the service is always very quick too.
Favorites: Turkey burger (hawaiian) wrapped in lettuce
Grilled chicken salad
Cranberry walnut salad

This place was pretty hit and miss for a while, but now that they’ve gotten more popular with the new Breakfast biscuits, I’ve noticed that they’ve really stepped up their A game.
While we’re on the subject, I LOOOOOOOVVVVE the new breakfast biscuit sandwiches here (well from Carl’s Jr. in general). They are 3 098 432 0984x better than the breakfast sandwiches from McDonald’s and don’t have such a heavy feeling once you’ve eaten them.
Anyways, the service here is usually pretty good. As most people will say, don’t go between the hours of 12 – 1:30 because you’ll be waiting a while and there’s a good chance there will be something wrong with your order. However, outside of those busy times, you should be good.
They also accept all Carl’s Jr. coupons, which are really good when you can find them in the Sunday paper or in the «junk mail» at home. They charge $ 1.00 for debit card use, so bring a credit card or cash!

The place is good for two things — convenience and your American fast-​food fix right on the UCLA campus. The quality of the food is a hit or miss, depending on what time of day you go; as usual, the quality of the food goes down when they’re busy. As with any place in Ackerman Union, don’t go during the lunch rush hour! If you do, just be patient because there will be a long wait.
**Use a credit card or cash to avoid the debit card transaction fee**
Lately I’ve been going here for breakfast; I arrive on campus early to beat the traffic on my commute. Short wait, better service, and plenty of open tables and seating in the lounge area! Heck, I even got free tater tots the other morning! The guy at the register had finished ringing up people in line, noted my number and got me my order. I sat down, looked in the bag and realized he gave me free food. I’m not complaining!
If you’re here for breakfast, I recommend the Loaded or Big Country Breakfast Burritos. They don’t look that big, but they’re filling! Ask for salsa to go with it. I was a little bummed they didn’t have hot sauce…

God I hate Carl’s Jr. This one in particular.
The burgers are disgusting so I wanted to try the fish and chips. I waited forever for them, and when I got them they were burning oil hot. That’s ok because they were fast-​food-​fresh.
When they cooled down I bit into them. The taste of the oil (which obviously needed to be changed) was absolutely disgusting. Even though they were deep-​fried the batter was still raw in the middle on some of the pieces.
Ok, I thought, on to the fries. The fries were dry as hell and stale.
I threw the whole thing into the trash. Disgusting. Oh, and plus a drink it was $ 7.11. What a rip-​off.
OH, and if you use your debit card they charge you an extra dollar. WTF is that about?!

Do you know of any other Carls. Jr within a reasonable distance on the Westside? Hmmmmmmmm… CAN YOU THINK OF ONE??? How many school campuses have that? ON CAMPUS BAR??? FORGET THAT… Instead of destroyin’ my liver I’d rather clog my arteries!!! There used to be a Carls. Jr in Westwood. But that is where the UCLA extension is right now on top of the starbucks on Lindbrook and Westwood BLVD…
*Get the big Carl and the Criss Cross fries. Your arteries will thank me later.

True to recent ad slogans «Without us, some guys would starve», UCLA’s contribution to fattening America is actually well received among the «healthy alternative» vendors at Ackerman Union. Sure, there’s Taco Bell and also the fusion taco truck fleets, but you just can’t beat the live flame broiled patty cook-​out nestled next to the engineering halls. Like almost all Car’s, this store front may not best accommodate the lunch swarm, but the students have a system down to move the crowds in-​and-​out of the pick-​up counter.
Best tip is to avoid inter-​session crowds around 1150 – 1 MWF, 12 – 130 TR

Yay, UCLA has a Carl’s Jr. on campus. Wooo!
I love it when I’m eating it. I hate it about 2 hours later and for the rest of the week. Then it starts all over again…
Don’t look at the «nutrition» facts on their website, they’ll make you cry